Montana Plane Crash: Victims Identified, Investigation Underway

A tragic plane crash just south of West Yellowstone has left three people dead, according to a statement released by the Gallatin County Sheriff’s Office on Monday, July 21, 2025.

The incident unfolded on Friday, July 18. Around 1:41 p.m., West Yellowstone Dispatch received a report of a possible crash after a small plane had gone missing. The aircraft, a Piper PA-28-180 Cherokee B, had taken off from the West Yellowstone Airport just before midnight the night before but never arrived at its intended destination.

Authorities used the last recorded location from a smartwatch worn by one of the passengers to narrow down the search area. Two planes were launched to comb the region, and by 2:13 p.m., the downed plane was spotted in a heavily wooded area near South Plateau Road, just outside of West Yellowstone.

Gallatin County Sheriff Search & Rescue teams responded quickly. Multiple SAR divisions, including teams from West Yellowstone, Big Sky, the Heli Team, and communications crew, were deployed to the site. Once they reached the wreckage, it was confirmed that all three individuals on board had died in the crash.

The victims were recovered and airlifted out of the area, where their remains were transferred to a Gallatin County deputy coroner. The victims have been identified as Rodney Conover, 60, and Madison Conover, 23, both of Tennessee, and Kurt Enoch Robey, 55, of Utah.

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At this time, the cause of the crash remains unknown. The FAA and NTSB are continuing to investigate.

Sheriff Dan Springer expressed his gratitude to all agencies involved in the recovery and ongoing investigation, including the U.S. Forest Service and Hebgen Basin Rural Fire District.