BUTTE – The two Butte men who died in a single-engine plane crash were a Montana State University student who was learning to fly and a Montana Tech professor who was a partner in a flight instruction company, authorities said Tuesday.
Butte-Silver Bow County Coroner Lee LeBreche identified Richard “Dick” Johnson, 61, and Justin Robbe, 19, as the victims in Monday morning’s crash five miles west of Butte.
The bodies were taken to the Missoula Crime Lab for autopsies and a toxicology test, LeBreche said.
The cause of the crash was unknown.
Robbe graduated as valedictorian of Butte High School in 2010. He was an honor roll student at Montana State University and was studying mechanical engineering.
He was interested in aviation and was learning to be a pilot.
Johnson was the head of the general engineering department at Montana Tech and a partner at JJ Aviation, a flight instruction company. The newspaper reported that co-workers called him “Yoda” because he was so knowledgeable about aviation.
The Piper PA-38 Tomahawk that crashed was registered to JJ Aviation.
Doug Abbott, Montana Tech’s vice chancellor of academic affairs and research, said Johnson had been a valued professor and mentor at the school since 1981.
“He was dedicated to the campus, recently volunteering to serve as the department head of general engineering. We as a campus send out condolences to his wife Marcia and his family. He will be greatly missed,” Abbott said.
Johnson’s wife, Marcia, is a school teacher in Butte, and their son, Nick, is a Marine.