On November 16, 2009, at approximately 6:00 p.m., the New York State Police in Ray Brook were advised that two men had left the airport in Saratoga, New York at approximately 4:25 p.m. on November 15, 2009, and had not arrived at their planned destination in Malone. Daniel R. Wills, age 48, of North Bangor, New York in his airplane, a Piper Cherokee 140 single engine aircraft, with passenger Ronald E. Rouselle, age 66, of Malone, New York should have arrived in Malone at approximately 6:00 p.m. on November 15th. The men never showed up and had not contacted anyone, which family and friends found abnormal, and vehicles belonging to the men were located in the airport parking lot in Malone.

An investigation conducted by the New York State Police, working with the Federal Aviation Administration, determined that the aircraft was last at 4,200 feet in elevation and was headed towards terrain at 4,600 feet in elevation near the Tahawas mining area near the Santanoni Mountain Range. Santanoni peak is in the Town of Newcomb and has an elevation of 4,609 feet. A search immediately began to locate the missing aircraft by New York State Police Aviation and the U.S. Customs and Border Protection Aviation.

On November 17, 2009, at approximately 8:00 a.m., New York State Police Aviation and New York State Forest Rangers located the wreckage of what they believed was the aircraft that was carrying the two missing men. The victims have been tentatively identified as Daniel Wills and Ronald Rouselle, but positive identification is pending. The Federal Aviation Administration, the National Transportation Safety Board and the New York State Forest Rangers are assisting in the investigation which is ongoing as to the cause and circumstances surrounding this incident.