Eric Dietrich

edietrich@greatfallstribune.com

One person was confirmed dead and three were injured in a plane crash Tuesday in the Little Belt Mountains near Showdown Ski Area, after a light aircraft went down at the edge of the King's Hill Winter Recreation Area parking lot.

Four people were onboard, officials said. Cascade County Sheriff Bob Edwards said it appears a survivor made it to Highway 89 nearby to find help.

A private vehicle had rendezvoused with a Belt Volunteer Ambulance crew between the crash site and Great Falls, he said.

John Faulkner with the Great Falls International Airport Authority said that the plane was a light single-engine Cessna Cardinal, and that it had departed from Great Falls about 1 p.m.

Federal Aviation Administration spokesman Allen Kenitzer confirmed four people were on board.

At least one person was being transported to a hospital in Salt Lake by Mercy Flight, he added.

Mercy Flight, Cascade County and several local agencies responded after the crash was reported around 1:20 p.m. Other responders included the U.S. Forest Service and Niehart Volunteer Fire Department. The crash occurred off mile marker 30 on Highway 89.

Faulkner said that investigators from the National Transportation Safety Board were en route to the scene Tuesday evening to determine the cause of the crash.