A 13-year-old was killed after a plane carrying a family headed to Boise, Idaho crashed just shortly after taking off into the Bighorn Mountains. The plane was a single engine, four-seat Piper airplane.
The crash was reported at 4:57 pm according to Wyoming News Now. The National Traffic Safety Board, Federal Aviation Administration, and Sheridan County Sheriff’s office all investigated the crash two days after the incident.
The 13-year-old was identified as Amelia Palmer, and she was pronounced dead at the scene. According to County10, “On September 3, 2025, the Sheridan County Coroner released Amelia Palmer’s cause of death as blunt force trauma.”
13-year-old Ameila Palmer was the 2024/2025 Treasure Valley Rodeo Mini Queen and had been named second runner up for Miss Junior Rodeo Idaho. Miss Rodeo Inc. will remember Amelia as someone who was “pure sunshine” and someone who brought joy to everyone.
The other three passengers, 54-year-old Earl Palmer, 53-year-old Cindy Palmer, were left in critical condition. Along with 11-year-old Aeron Palmer, who had minor injuries.
According to East Idaho News, Earl and Cindy Palmer were airlifted to a trauma center in Montana, and Aeron was transported to Sheridan Memorial Hospital by ambulance.
According to PEOPLE, Earl will need major reconstructive surgeries, and Cindy’s injuries are unknown at this time.
Aeron has since been released from the hospital and is with family according to Wyoming News Now.
The reason why the plane crashed is still under investigation, however according to KTVQ, the airplane was built in 1965, which is 60 years ago. Planes that are older struggle at higher elevations. With that being said, the NTSB (National Transportation Safety Board) and the FAA (Federal Aviation Administration) will continue to investigate what caused the crash.
According to KTVQ, court records show that the pilot, Earl Palmer, had previously had two other aircraft crashes, one in 2012 and one in 2016.
The 2012 helicopter incident happened when Palmer was flying for the Department of the Interior out of Boise, which MSN described as having “the potential loss of life.”
The 2016 crash happened in a fixed wing plane, which is a plane that has wings permanently attached to the fuselage and does not move during the flight.
According to Tasteofcountry, after the 2012 and 2016 plane crashes, the Department of the Interior revoked Palmer’s pilot authorization.
Palmer later applied to have his approval reinstated, which was initially denied. However, in 2024, his pilot’s license was reinstated.
A GoFundMe has been launched for the Palmer family, and has raised over $25,000 dollars. The GoFundMe states the money raised will assist with medical bills, household bills, travel costs, and funeral costs.
