A small plane crash killed John Ostlund, a county leader from Montana. The 73-year-old Republican was flying his single-engine Cessna 172 when it went down Thursday afternoon. The crash happened near a road outside Billings in a rural area south of the city center. Records show the aircraft belonged to Ostlund at his home address.
Sheriff Mike Linder said Ostlund was on the plane but would not say if anyone else was there. The National Transportation Safety Board is looking into what caused the accident. The Cessna 172 can hold up to four people when full. Officials have not released details about what went wrong during the flight.
Ostlund first won his county commissioner seat back in 2002. He was serving his sixth term when the crash happened. The longtime politician left behind his wife and five grown children. Fellow commissioner Mark Morse called him a great guy who had lots of valuable knowledge.
Yellowstone County has about 164,000 residents and is the biggest county in Montana. Ostlund worked as one of the commissioners who help run local government there. His death means the county loses an experienced leader who served for more than 20 years.
Sheriff Mike Linder said Ostlund was on the plane but would not say if anyone else was there. The National Transportation Safety Board is looking into what caused the accident. The Cessna 172 can hold up to four people when full. Officials have not released details about what went wrong during the flight.
Ostlund first won his county commissioner seat back in 2002. He was serving his sixth term when the crash happened. The longtime politician left behind his wife and five grown children. Fellow commissioner Mark Morse called him a great guy who had lots of valuable knowledge.
Yellowstone County has about 164,000 residents and is the biggest county in Montana. Ostlund worked as one of the commissioners who help run local government there. His death means the county loses an experienced leader who served for more than 20 years.
