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Small plane crashes

| July 29, 2014 9:00 PM

OROFINO (AP) - A small, home-built airplane has crashed in the Clearwater National Forest near the Idaho-Montana border, killing the pilot.

The Clearwater County sheriff's office says a helicopter crew with Two Bear Air Helicopter of Whitefish, Mont., spotted the wreckage Monday near the Blackhead Mountain area west of Lolo Pass. Crews on the ground confirmed the pilot had died. No one else was on board. The pilot's name was being withheld while family members were notified.

The pilot contacted another airplane Monday morning and reported there was oil on the plane's windshield. Lewis and Clark County Sheriff Leo Dutton says the pilot was unsure if the plane would make to its next planned stop in Helena, Mont.

The Federal Aviation Administration says the airplane was a single-engine Lancair Legacy traveling from Richland, Washington, to Baker, Montana.