From The Idaho Statesman

MISSOULA, Mont. — A twin-engine airplane plane crashed and caught fire in the parking lot of a western Montana ski area.

Ravalli County Sheriff Chris Hoffman says the crash happened at 5:30 p.m. Tuesday just north of the ski lodge at the Lost Trial ski area near the Montana-Idaho border.

Officials were not immediately able to determine how many people were on board, who owned the plane or where it was coming from. Undersheriff Steve Holton says no one survived the crash.

Federal Aviation Administration officials were expected to begin investigating on Wednesday morning.

One witness said the plane appeared to be spinning in the air before it came down flat in the parking lot and was destroyed by the fire.

Read more here: http://www.idahostatesman.com/2014/06/1 ... rylink=cpy

It was a FLOAT plane? Nothing in the article suggests that....more information?

MTV

pictures in this article

http://www.nbcmontana.com/news/plane-de ... a/26539396

A friend posted on Facebook that he was there when the crash occurred.

Aaron Hoffman Posted I almost died in a plane crash today.

I was in my car at the time, but if I had been hurrying out of the parking lot instead of idling along picking a song I would have been a second fatality. Witnessing a plane fall from the sky 20 feet in me and violently explode has inspired me to remind the world about just how precious and fragile and wildly unpredictable life can be. Enjoy it and your loved ones to the fullest!

Apparently the pilot was flying out of Dillon, and if anyone knows the friends or family of the deceased I would like to offer my condolences and the small consolation that there is no chance that the victim suffered in this wreck.

This is the airplane... Owner was not flying.

Oh, man, a double tragedy....losing a pilot and a very rare airplane to boot.

MTV

Very sad and when I saw the pic yesterday and knew which plane it was by the sponsons, exhaust rings, prop, and color, my heart got taken down several notches thinking of the family of the gentleman who showed it to me on a past visit. Someone told me there were widespread flurries and obscuration throughout the area.

We lost a great guy - instructor- float pilot! I just talked with Mike five hours earlier and he was waiting on weather to improve, he did not wait long enough! Trying to run passes in weather like that will get you, he just got checked out in the plane only about a year ago, so sad for him and the plane.

Sea plane not a float plane...sorry, I couldn't help it. Pretty sad. The 21t is the Goose, right?

One thing about the internet, always a smart a$$, Mike was a float pilot who died in a amphibious aircraft, Hellava time to joke about things, after you loose a friend!

185 Bushbird wrote:One thing about the internet, always a smart a$$, Mike was a float pilot who died in a amphibious aircraft, Hellava time to joke about things, after you loose a friend!

I got the feeling he was correcting the thread title and not trying to make a joke, but I agree with you in that the most important detail is that the Community unfortunately lost another wonderful member.

I wasn't joking about anything...especially the loss of human life.

Sorry for my misunderstanding on floatplane vs seaplane

That's a rare bird, so who's to say for sure how it was configured, but the Goose in Driggs has beds, kitchen, and most of the conveniences of a camper. Seems like a pretty easy way to wait out a storm. The leather coaches at most fbo's are pretty cozy too, I've spent a few unplanned overnights on them.