Pilot fumbles landing, splashes into western Wyoming's Palisades Reservoir

JACKSON (WNE) — A small plane missed the runway and landed in Palisades Reservoir Monday morning, prompting a multi-agency response but leaving the lone pilot unharmed.

According to Alpine Fire Chief Mike Vogt, the pilot — an Alpine Airpark resident — was transported to the Alpine emergency clinic and released the same day without serious injuries. It remains unclear whether the aircraft was attempting to land or take off.

The Bonneville County, Idaho Sheriff’s Office received a call around 11 a.m. reporting that a plane had gone into the water. “We don’t know why it ended up in the water, but ... the end of the runway is in our county,” said Byron Lovell, public information officer for Bonneville County.

The Federal Aviation Administration will investigate, Vogt said. The plane is expected to remain in the reservoir for at least several days until federal officials arrive on scene.

With the reservoir currently at peak water levels, Vogt urged the public to exercise caution during the busy holiday weekend.

This is not the first aviation incident involving the reservoir. On July 4 last year, a California-based pilot with 35 years of aerobatic flight experience died after his plane nose-dived into the reservoir just inside the Idaho border.

The 5,850-foot airstrip serving the Alpine Airpark straddles the Wyoming-Idaho border and operates under a special use permit issued more than 50 years ago. Roughly 1,700 feet of the runway — about 30% — lies on public land managed by the Caribou-Targhee National Forest.

According to the airpark’s website, the private fly-in community is home to 130 residents, 126 planes, 72 “hangar homes,” and 25 stand-alone hangars.

This story was published on July 2, 2025.