Douglas, Smith, found dead on Swede Mountain

The worst fears were confirmed at 8 p.m. Wednesday night when a Montana Aeronautics aircraft located the wreckage of Stinger Welding owner and CEO Carl Douglas' plane in Williams Gulch, near the top of Swede Mountain.

The bodies of Douglas and the plane's other occupant, John Smith, were found in the wreckage field.

Douglas was piloting the twin-engine Beechcraft King Air, a plane capable of flying 325 knots, crashed into the side of the mountain just after midnight.

The plane crashed south of Swede Mountain, about three miles northeast of the Libby airport.

Douglas was reported missing at 11:12 a.m. Wednesday morning by Steve Patrick, Vice President of Montana operations for Stinger Welding. Patrick called the Lincoln County Sheriff's Office to report an overdue aircraft.

The plane had left Coolidge, Ariz. at about 8:30 p.m. Tuesday and was due to arrive shortly after midnight Wednesday morning.

A check of the Libby airport confirmed that the aircraft had not landed. Checks at regional airports were also negative.

Sheriff's deputies and volunteers from David Thompson Search and Rescue were dispatched in the area.

A GPS beacon located in the tail section of the plane was intact, one of the few parts of the plane that wasn't destroyed. 

The wreckage was covered by heavy snowfall, making it difficult for rescuers to locate it until after dark.

Civil Air Patrol, Montana Aeronautics and the FAA were notified of the beacon's last known position at around 5,900 feet southeast of Libby.

Montana Aeronautics was dispatched from Helena to search the area. The aircraft was equipped with a Emergency Locator Transmitter (ELT) signal locator. 

Douglas, the president, owner and CEO of Stinger Welding, Inc. a bridge and span builder that has a manufacturing branch in Libby, has run the company since he bought and renamed it in 1996.

Smith, a friend and employee of Douglas, was in the plane headed to Libby for a Stinger Christmas party Friday.

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