NATRONA CO., Wyoming ( ABC4 ) — A Utah man has been identified as the victim of a private plane crash near Alcova Reservoir in Wyoming, according to a press release.

Brent Dean Smith, 49, from Hyrum, Utah was identified by authorities as the pilot who died in a private plane crash on Tuesday, Mar. 21.

Around 4:45 p.m., a private aircraft company requested assistance after losing contact with a plane. A Search and Rescue team was immediately sent to the area both in the air and on the ground, according to the press release.

Several hours later, around 7:30 p.m., private search planes found the plane, and due to night conditions, passed the efforts on to a Wyoming Army National Guard helicopter. The helicopter located the plane and sent police officers to “traverse into the heavily wooded and remote terrain,” where they found the pilot who had died on the scene. There were no other passengers on the plane, according to the Natrona County Sheriff’s Office .

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Due to the difficult terrain and conditions, authorities returned to the scene at a later time to recover the body.

Natrona County Sherriff’s Office, Natrona County Emergency Management , the National Transportation Safety Board and the Federal Aviation Administration are investigating the cause of the crash.

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