As the NTSB and the FAA continue their investigation into Saturday’s plane crash near West Glacier…we learn the identities of the two people killed in the conflagration that resulted. They are 68 year-old Thomas Gladden of Otis Orchards–east of Spokane and 69 year-old Dwight Steffanson of College Place–west of Tacoma.
Deputies arrived at Ryan Field a little after 9:30 Saturday morning…calling-in firefighters from the Hungry Horse, Martin City and Coram-West Glacier Departments. Witnesses say the plane was taking off when it suddenly lost altitude, crashing not far from the end of the grass runway.
Ryan Field, about a mile southeast of West Glacier, is a back country airstrip, complete with camping facilities, including cabins and restrooms. Many fly into Ryan Field to access trails in the immediate vicinity.
