Locals recognized for life saving efforts

SEELEY LAKE - The Missoula County Sheriff's Office honored five individuals at a ceremony Tuesday, Feb. 16 for their life-saving actions following a September plane crash north of  Seeley Lake Airport.

The individuals recognized include Seeley-Swan Search and Rescue (SSSAR) volunteers Matt Pitman, Jason Ayers and Kal Kovatch, Civilian Mike Lindemer and U.S. Forest Service Federal Officer Tyler Robinson.

Around 10 p.m. Sept. 12, 2020, SSSAR and local law enforcement responded to a report that an airplane was down in the Blind Canyon area. 

Robinson was the first to arrive at the scene and began searching the Blind Canyon area. Over a dozen SSSAR volunteers, law enforcement and civilians joined the search. Lindemer and Kovatch, who are local pilots, used electronic tracking to fixate on the search area. Robinson and his ground crew found the aircraft just north of the airstrip in a heavily wooded area. Pilot Charles Wolff, 67, of Green Valley, Arizona and part-time Seeley Lake resident, and Seeley Lake resident Wayne Cahoon, 59, died in the crash. Wayne's son Christian Cahoon survived the crash.

The Federal Aviation Administration out of Helena is currently working on a report to determine the cause of the crash. It could be September 2021 before they and the National Transportation Safety Board release their analysis.

Undersheriff Richard Maricelli and Sergeant Robert Parcell presented the awards.

"Once at the scene, they teamed up with other volunteers and diligently searched in the dark until the crash site was located," Maricelli said in his speech. "They then assisted in skillfully extricating the one survivor and evacuating him to a helicopter so he could be flown to the nearby airfield, transferred to an ambulance and rushed to the hospital for life saving treatment. Their actions proved to be instrumental in the effort to save the life in question, and there was no doubt that the survivor would have died without the assistance rendered to him. Their expertise, stamina and determination greatly assisted in bringing the tragic incident to a close in a timely manner. Their performance has brought great credit upon themselves, the Seeley-Swan Search and Rescue Unit, the citizens of Seeley lake and the Missoula County Sheriff's Office. Congratulations on a job well done."

At the ceremony, Wolff's sister-in-law Jodi Hunt read a letter written by Wolff's wife Peggy on behalf of the family.

"We cannot imagine that emotional pain you dealt with that night knowing that you cared about your friends [who] were involved," she said. "The integrity of this team is worthy of any special recognition and yet we know that you are all humble and without any need for fanfare. Please know how much we appreciate each of you and the respect you showed for Wayne and Charlie. This gave our family a degree of comfort in an otherwise unbearable time of loss. We can never repay you for your efforts, the professionalism you put forth and the heroics you performed in saving Christian. We will forever be thankful and grateful for each and every one of you. You are all heroes in our eyes and hearts."