June 20 (UPI) -- A Yellowstone County Commissioner has been identified as the victim of a small plane crash in Billings, Mont., officials confirmed.
County Commissioner John Ostlund died after the single-engine aircraft crashed Thursday afternoon near a road in a rural part of Billings, south of the city center.
Records show the plane was registered to Ostlund's home address, KTVQ-TV reported, citing county sources.
It's not clear if anyone else was onboard the aircraft.
The National Transportation Safety Board confirmed it was looking into the crash of the Cessna 172, which can carry up to four people.
Yellowstone County Sheriff Mike Linder confirmed Ostlund was onboard the plane but did not say if he was alone.
The 73-year-old Republican was first elected to office in 2002 and was in the midst of serving his sixth term.
Ostlund is survived by his wife and the couple's five adult children.
"John was a great guy. The county has lost that bank of knowledge," fellow Yellowstone County Commissioner Mark Morse told the Longview News Journal in an interview.
Yellowstone County is home to some 164,000 people and is the most populous county in Montana.
