Park County Sheriff’s Office Identifies Plane Crash Victims

Three of the four victims who died in the plane crash near Cody on Saturday were from the Washington, D.C., area, according to a news release from the Park County Sheriff's Office.

The pilot, Donald Edward Scott, 66, was from Denver, according to the new release issued Tuesday.

Scott was accompanied by his friend, Joyce Bartoo, age unknown, from Washington, D.C.

The other victims were Scott's sister, Diane Jean Stubbs, 68, and her husband Gerald Bruce Stubbs, 69, from Annapolis, Md.

Scott was piloting a 1979 Cessna 310 fixed-wing, multi-engine prop plane (N72TP) owned by Independence Aviation, LLC, in Englewood, Colo.

The aircraft left the Sheridan County Airport after 11 a.m. Saturday for Billings, Mont. Shortly after takeoff, Scott deviated from his scheduled flight path and headed to Yellowstone National Park. After circling the park, Scott headed once again to Billings.

Soon after that, he suddenly turned due east toward Cody and immediately went into a steep descent.  No further voice contact was made with Scott as the plane dropped below radar at 11:56 a.m.

The Park County Search and Rescue reached the crash scene north of the Buffalo Bill Reservoir shortly after 3 p.m. Saturday and confirmed there were no survivors.

On Sunday, they returned to remove the bodies which were taken to Billings on Monday for autopsies.

The National Transportation Safety Board has taken over as lead investigative agency. The NTSB has been in contact with the plane’s insurer and removal of the wreckage is scheduled within the next several weeks.