Two dead after plane hits power line, crashes into Payette River ice
Update (Jan. 27, 2026): One of the men aboard the plane has been identified as longtime KBOI chief meteorologist Roland Steadham. Read that story here.
Officials said two people died Tuesday morning in a plane crash along the Payette River in Gem County.
Preliminary information indicated that a small plane clipped a power line shortly before 11 a.m. and crashed into Payette River ice west of Montour and northeast of Emmett, the Gem County Sheriff’s Office said in a news release.
Deputies responded at about 10:58 a.m. and found that the two male occupants on board were “fatally injured,” according to Gem County.
The clipped power line left 190 people without electricity on Tuesday, according to the Idaho Power website.
“Power is out and Idaho Power is working with first responders to restore the lines as soon as the scene is secure,” the Sheriff’s Office said.
Gem County deputies, as well as Gem County Fire and EMS, remained on the scene as of Tuesday afternoon. The Gem County Sheriff’s Office is investigating the crash.
Idaho Highway 52 traffic has not been affected, officials said.
This story was originally published January 27, 2026 at 1:29 PM.
