Copyright Kalispell Inter Lake
The Wednesday evening helicopter crash that claimed the lives of four people near Ekalaka in southeast Montana was one of six fatal general aviation crashes so far in Montana this year. Montana has among the highest small aircraft crash rates by population in the nation — ranked third behind Alaska and Wyoming, according to an MTFP analysis of aviation data kept by National Transportation Safety Board. However, the number of small aircraft accidents in Montana so far this year is actually down compared to the same portion of last year. The crash of a Robinson R66 helicopter, piloted by Zachary Bailey, resulted in the deaths of all four people on board: Bailey, his wife, Kelsey, and two of their children, Vada Rose, 12, and Samuel, 7. Zachary Bailey was the son of Illinois Republican gubernatorial candidate Darren Bailey. The crash is one of several accidents involving small aircraft that have grabbed headlines in Montana this year. On Oct. 17, a plane crash in the Bob Marshall Wilderness killed three people. In August, a landing attempt at Kalispell City Airport resulted in a plane striking several parked aircraft and bursting into flames, though all four occupants escaped. In July, a small plane exited the runway at Ryan’s Field near West Glacier, killing the two men on board. In June, another crash killed Yellowstone County Commissioner John Ostlund. General aviation — flights that aren’t scheduled commercial routes or military operations — has long been significantly less safe than commercial airline travel. For example, in 2023 the NTSB recorded 307 fatalities over approximately 25 million general aviation flight hours flown. In comparison, for commercial aviation that year there were 6.2 million flight hours flown domestically in the U.S. with no fatal accidents. According to the Federal Aviation Administration, Montana has 1,493 licensed private pilots. That’s 138 licensed private pilots per capita, the second-most in the nation behind Alaska, where 82% of communities aren’t connected by roads and small planes are often used for routine transportation. Between 2012 and 2021, Montana had 2.5 fatal aviation crashes per 100,00 residents, with higher rates only for Alaska (at 9.0) and Wyoming (at 3.5). Other Western states with similar rural landscapes, including Idaho, New Mexico and Utah, also appear in the top 10. The NTSB has recorded 21 general aviation crashes in Montana so far this year, six of them involving fatalities. The figure is actually lower than the first 10 months of last year. By the same point in 2024 there had been 36 accidents, with nine of them being fatal. When an aircraft accident occurs, the NTSB investigates the accident to determine the cause and sequence of events. A preliminary report with early findings is usually released within a month of the crash. The final report, often published 12-24 months later, explains the cause and often includes safety recommendations to help prevent future accidents. When asked by MTFP for details on Wednesday’s accident and information on general aviation safety trends in Montana, both the FAA and NTSB returned auto-reply emails saying they were not responding to press inquiries due to the current government shutdown.
