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CHALLIS, Idaho — A 48-year-old father and his 15-year-old son were killed after a plane crashed in rural Valley County this week.
Valley County Coroner Scott Carver tells EastIdahoNews.com that 48-year-old Neal Humphrey and his 15-year-old son Cooper Humphrey were killed in the crash. Both were from Lewiston and had moved from Florida, where the plane is registered. Carver said the manner of death was accidental and the cause was blunt-force trauma.
The Humphreys were in a single-engine green and tan Piper PA-20. The plane was supposed to arrive at Johnson Creek Airstrip in Valley County on Sunday evening, according to the Valley County Sheriff's Office.
Dispatchers were told the plane took off from the Lower Loon Airstrip in Lemhi County around 8 p.m. that night and was en route to Johnson Creek.
On Monday morning, Valley County dispatchers received a call from the Idaho Division of Aeronautics alerting the sheriff's office that an aircraft was overdue.
That morning, around 11:45 a.m., a Forest Service aircraft reported they located a crash site around 1.6 miles into Valley County. The pilot said there was a small fire at the crash scene and there did not appear to be any survivors.
"The location of the crash is a steep hillside that is a designated wilderness area," the release said. "Valley County Sheriff's Office personnel contacted several partners equipped with air assets to retrieve the remains. Idaho Air National Guard allocated a hoist-equipped Blackhawk helicopter and crew to assist deputies in the recovery."
Valley County deputies and Idaho Air National Guard flew to the crash scene Tuesday and retrieved the remains of the victims, who were the only occupants in the plane.
An NTSB spokesman told EastIdahoNews.com that a preliminary report with additional details will come out within the next few weeks.
