More details on plane crash

The plane that crashed into the Hungry Horse Reservoir Nov. 18 was an experimental aircraft Flathead County Sheriff Brian Heino confirmed.

Both occupants of the aircraft survived and were able to swim to shore after the plane landed on the water near Doris Point.

They were transported to the hospital by Alert and Two Bear Air. Heino said the pilot was flying from Great Falls to Kalispell and is from Great Falls.

One witness who spent a career in aviation said he saw the plane in apparent distress over Columbia Mountain. It went straight up in the air at one point. The witness said the next time he looked, there was just puffs of smoke in the air and no aircraft.

Heino said the cause of the crash is still under investigation and information was presented to the National Transportation Safety Board, which typically investigates crashes. An initial report on the accident was not available on the NTSB website.

It typically takes months for the agency to fully determine the reasons in a crash.