The Wednesday evening helicopter crash that claimed the lives of four people near Ekalaka in southeast Montana was one of six fatal general aviation crashes so far in Montana this year.

Montana has among the highest small aircraft crash rates by population in the nation — ranked third behind Alaska and Wyoming, according to an MTFP analysis of aviation data kept by National Transportation Safety Board. However, the number of small aircraft accidents in Montana so far this year is actually down compared to the same portion of last year.

The crash of a Robinson R66 helicopter, piloted by Zachary Bailey, resulted in the deaths of all four people on board: Bailey, his wife, Kelsey, and two of their children, Vada Rose, 12, and Samuel, 7. Zachary Bailey was the son of Illinois Republican gube

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