POWELL COUNTY, Mont. — Tragedy struck in Montana when a plane crash claimed the lives of three individuals, believed to be a man from Huntsville and his two daughters.

The Powell County Sheriff’s Office reported receiving an alert about a potential aircraft crash on Friday afternoon. Responders immediately engaged air resources from Malmstrom Air Force Base in Great Falls, conducting an extensive search that extended into the night.

By Saturday morning, around 9 a.m., authorities confirmed that a helicopter had located the downed aircraft in a densely wooded area. Unfortunately, the pilot and the two passengers were found deceased at the crash site, as confirmed by the sheriff’s office.

Mark Anderson and his daughters, Ellie and Lainey, who were on a flight to Polson, Montana, were identified in a poignant Facebook post by the Monte Sano Baptist Church. The post highlighted Mark Anderson’s expertise as a pilot and expressed sorrow over the discovery of their aircraft on Saturday.

The Monte Sano Baptist Church’s Facebook page said in a post on Saturday afternoon that Mark Anderson and his daughters, Ellie and Lainey, from Huntsville, went missing while flying to Polson, Montana. The post says Mark Anderson is an experienced pilot, and their plane was located on Saturday.

The church also asked people for prayers for the family.

The Powell County Sheriff’s Office has turned the investigation over to the Federal Aviation Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board, which will lead efforts to determine the cause of the crash.