One person has died in a private plane crash southeast of Alcova Reservoir, but the terrain and conditions where the plane went down have made it difficult to retrieve the victim, authorities say.
Casper Public Safety dispatch at about 4:45 p.m. Tuesday received a private aircraft company’s call for help in locating a small plane with one person on board with whom the company lost contact, according to a Wednesday press release from the Natrona County Sheriff’s Office.
The company gave responders coordinates for the craft’s last known location and additional company resources to aid the search. Natrona County authorities launched a search and rescue operation “immediately,” the statement says, and sent deputies to the sloped, mountain area south of Alcova Reservoir in Natrona County.
Fire and emergency personnel gathered on Bolton Creek Road, and by 7:30 p.m., private search planes had found the craft. A Wyoming Army National Guard Blackhawk helicopter arrived to continue the search with specialty equipment, the statement says.
Responders established a command post on Kortes Road.
The helicopter operator confirmed the downed aircraft’s location and flew sheriff’s office staffers into the “heavily wooded and remote terrain,” the statement says. The searchers arrived at the crash scene and confirmed one person dead within it.
But they couldn’t remove the decedent because of the terrain, location and conditions, according to the statement.
“Additional personnel and specialty equipment were needed for a safe recovery operation,” the statement reads, adding that recovery efforts were continuing Wednesday morning.
People traveling on Kortes Road may experience short delays near Cardwell Ranch Road, the sheriff’s office says, asking drivers to seek an alternate travel route.
Natrona County Sheriff’s Office deputies, Natrona County Emergency Management personnel, the Natrona County Fire Protection District, Wyoming Game and Fish Department, and Bureau of Land Management Law Enforcement are all assisting, the statement says.
