POWELL, Wyo. — Authorities said two Alaska men escaped serious injury when they crashed their single-engine airplane in Yellowstone National Park.
Park County Sheriff’s Office spokesman Lance Mathess told The Powell Tribune that 61-year-old pilot James Betzhold and his passenger, 25-year-old Douglas Betzhold, both of Beluga, Alaska, crashed shortly after taking off from Cody’s Yellowstone Regional Airport about 4 p.m. Friday.
The fixed-wing Piper 180 crashed just inside Yellowstone’s eastern boundary.
The men were on their way to Boise, Idaho, and were reported overdue early Saturday. They stayed with the wreckage, which was found Saturday morning.
James Betzhold was treated at the scene for possible fractured ribs, a fractured nose and minor cuts. Douglas Betzhold suffered only scrapes and bruises. The National Transportation Safety Board is investigating.
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