HUNTSVILLE, Ala (WHNT) — For Ryan Dykstra, Saturday’s search and rescue mission brought a sight he never wants to see.
“It never sits well with you, especially with an outcome like this,” he said.
Previous Reporting: Huntsville family killed in Montana plane crash
Dykstra is a Missoula native and pilot who frequently helps with search and rescue efforts for the Montana Department of Transportation Aeronautics Division.
Friday night, he and his father heard about a possible crash.
“My dad called me and just said, ‘Hey, there was a plane crash in the Bob Marshall,’ and we immediately dispatched out to the airport.”
The crash involved three members of a family from Huntsville.
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Dykstra said he and his dad hopped in a friend’s helicopter and headed out to the wilderness, but he said they had to turn around.
“Just because the weather was so severe out there, it wasn’t safe for us to conduct any search and rescue,” he said.
After a sleepless night, Dykstra said they started their search again.
Just an hour after they left Missoula, he spotted the Andersons’ plane.
“I just happened to be looking in the right place at the right time and saw the wreckage,” he said. “You know, your heart just sinks because you can you see how bad the wreckage was.”
The air force moved in just a few minutes later and hit the ground to assess the situation.
“All we knew is we found the crash,” he said. “It didn’t look good. There was no heat signatures, but there’s still hope, you know.”
He later heard the devastating news: there were no survivors.
“My heart goes out to their friends and family and their mom and his wife,” Dykstra said. “I just can’t even imagine.”
There will be a candlelit prayer vigil for the Anderson family in Huntsville on Wednesday night.
It takes place at Milton Frank Stadium at 6:30 pm. Doors open at 5:30 pm, and it is open to the public.
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