Smartwatch guides rescue teams to the scene of a deadly plane crash in Montana.

A victim’s smartwatch played a crucial role in helping search-and-rescue crews find a downed plane in the dense woods of Montana, as announced by the local sheriff’s office on Monday. Unfortunately, the search revealed that all three occupants on board had died. The victims were identified as Rodney Conover, 60, and Madison Conover, 23, both from Tennessee, and Kurt Enoch Robey, 55, from Utah.

The plane took off from West Yellowstone Airport just before midnight on Thursday. Local authorities were alerted by the U.S. Transportation Department Aero Division when the aircraft’s whereabouts became unknown. Thanks to the location information from a smartwatch worn by one of the victims, search-and-rescue crews were able to pinpoint the remote crash site located south of West Yellowstone on Friday afternoon.

Although two planes facilitated the search from the air, the ground team faced the challenge of navigating dense timber to reach the wreckage. Search team members confirmed that all three individuals had died at the scene. Their remains were subsequently removed from the aircraft and transported via helicopter to be turned over to a Gallatin County Sheriff’s Office deputy coroner.

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has yet to respond to inquiries regarding the incident. According to the FAA’s aviation safety database, the aircraft involved was a variant of the Piper Cherokee, a small, single-engine plane, carrying two crew members and one passenger. The FAA is collaborating with the National Transportation Safety Board to investigate the cause of the crash.

In recent days, the weather in the area featured wind gusts reaching 20 mph, combined with chilly overnight temperatures and daytime highs in the upper 70s. Sheriff Dan Springer expressed his “deepest condolences” to the families and friends of the deceased.