A tragic plane crash in Montana has claimed the lives of an Alabama pilot and his two daughters, authorities confirmed. The family members were identified as Mark Anderson and his daughters, Lainey and Ellie, who were on board when the aircraft went down in a remote area.

The Powell County Sheriff’s Office reported receiving a tip about a “possible downed aircraft” on Friday afternoon. By Saturday morning at 9 a.m., the wreckage was discovered in a secluded, forested region of Youngs Creek within the Bob Marshall Wilderness, northeast of Seeley Lake. Sadly, all three occupants were declared deceased at the site of the crash.

In a poignant statement on Facebook, Monte Sano Baptist Church in Huntsville, Alabama, expressed their sorrow and confirmed the loss of their beloved members. Mark Anderson and his daughters had been reported missing prior to the discovery of the crash.

The devastating event on October 17, 2025, has left a community mourning as they remember the lives of Lainey, Mark, and Ellie Anderson, who perished in the Montana wilderness.

Lainey, left; Mark, center; and Ellie Anderson all died during a plane crash in the Montana wilderness on Oct. 17, 2025. (Facebook/Monte Sano Baptist Church)

“Mark is an experienced pilot, and we’re holding onto hope that he made a safe landing in a remote area,” the church posted before the trio was found, adding that they were headed to Polson, Montana. 

Mark was 62 years old, Lainey was 22 years old and Ellie was 17 years old, according to the New York Post. 

Sisters Lainey and Ellie Anderson pose in front of an airplane with their dog on an undisclosed date. Lainey was a flight instructor, Sanders Aviation said.  (Facebook/Monte Sano Baptist Church)

Sanders Aviation also took to Facebook to say that Lainey was one of its Certified Flight Instructors and “was on a family vacation in Montana.”

“Lainey was tragically killed when the twin engine Aztec her father was flying developed engine problems not far from their destination in the Bob Marshall Wilderness,” the post said, asking for prayers for her mother named Misty. 

Elk and deer feeding in open grassy areas of Bob Marshall Wilderness in Montana at night un an unspecified date. (Dennis Anderson/Star Tribune)

PCSO said it turned over the plane crash investigation to the Federal Aviation Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board. Both agencies said via email to Fox News Digital that they are not responding to routine media inquiries due to the government shutdown.