Boise Pilot Found Dead In Wreckage

The wreckage of a twin-engine plane that disappeared Thursday was found Friday on a remote mountaintop, and search officials said the pilot, the lone occupant, was dead.

The pilot was identified as Michael O’Keefe, 56, a retired orthopedic surgeon from Boise.

A helicopter spotted the wreckage just below the top of Foolhen Mountain at an elevation of about 8,800 feet, said Tom Holland, Beaverhead County search and rescue coordinator. The site is about one mile from Shaw Peak, where the search had been concentrated.

The site is in steep terrain without roads.

Brad Belke, coordinator for ButteSilver Bow search and rescue, said there are not even any trails to the area, and the body will have to be recovered either by helicopter or by horseback.

The Cessna 340 disappeared from radar screens at midday on a flight from Butte to McCall, Idaho. Radio communication with the plane ceased about noon, after O’Keefe reported turbulence, the state Aeronautics Division said.

O’Keefe, who has addresses in Deer Lodge and in Idaho, was described as a seasoned pilot.

About 30 search and rescue workers Thursday set up a base camp about 12 miles away from Shaw Peak, along Bryant Creek.