Whitefish man dies in plane crash

Hugh Rogers, 50, a popular veterinarian here in Whitefish, died Wednesday, April 1, after his plane crashed on the ice on Hungry Horse Reservoir about 35 miles south of the dam. There were no other people on the plane.

The Flathead County Sheriff's Office received a report from Montana Aeronautics about 5:15 p.m. on April 1 of an emergency locator transmitter (ELT) signal sounding in the area of the Hungry Horse Reservoir.

The sheriff's office mobilized North Valley Search and Rescue and asked for assistance from the Alert helicopter in locating the downed aircraft. Weather conditions, however, prevented the Alert helicopter from flying in the area. Using a grid search pattern, rescuers proceeded on snowmobiles.

Rescuers located the wreckage of the plane about 12:30 a.m. on April 2. Four members of the search and rescue team stayed with the victim until morning, when the body was transported to the Montana Crime Lab for an autopsy.

Rogers was the owner and operator of Alpine Animal Hospital on U.S. Highway 93 South. Rogers relocated to Whitefish from Idaho in 1997 with his wife Roxane and have been in business ever since.

A licensed pilot who often flew his M-4 Maule airplane with his dog Dusty, Rogers volunteered his time for the Angel Flight organization, which provides free air flights for specialized medical attention for people.

The sheriff's office is working with the Federal Aviation Administration to investigate the accident.