Federal officials investigating plane crash northwest of Pierre

By Mitchell Now October 25, 2023 6:19 am

Federal officials have arrived at the scene of a fatal single engine airplane crash that happened northwest of Pierre on Monday afternoon. The Federal Aviation Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board are investigating the cause of the crash which happened in an area that is not visible from public roads or property.

Preliminary accident information on the Federal Aviation Administration website says the plane is a 1997 Piper Malibu Mirage registered to Icarus Management LLC in Great Falls, Montana. The FlightAware website shows the fixed wing plane left the Pierre Regional Airport at 3:57pm CT bound for Steamboat Springs, Colorado. Something caused the plane to circle back and it crashed at approximately 4:13pm in rough terrain approximately one mile north of Pierre and a half mile west of Highway 1804.

There were two people on board, the pilot and one passenger. Both were taken by ambulance to Avera St. Mary’s Hospital in Pierre. The passenger was pronounced dead at the hospital. Yesterday, the pilot was said to be in stable condition. Names of those involved have not yet been released pending notification of family. The Hughes County Sheriff’s Office confirms both people were visiting the Pierre area and are not from South Dakota.

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