SEA03FA092

History of flight

On Sunday, May 25, 2003, approximately 0955 mountain daylight time, a Cessna 180H, N767, departed the Flying B Ranch airstrip, located about 30 miles east of Yellow Pine, Idaho, with an ultimate destination of Reno-Stead Airport, Reno, Nevada. When the pilot did not arrive for an appointment at the beginning of the next week, a search of his probable route was initiated on May 28, 2003. On June 3, 2003, the wreckage of the aircraft was located in heavily-wooded rugged terrain about eight miles southwest of the point of departure. The private pilot, who was the sole occupant, received fatal injuries, and the aircraft, which was owned and operated by the pilot, sustained substantial damage. The 14 CFR Part 91 personal pleasure flight, had been conducted in an area of visual meteorological conditions. No flight plan had been filed. There was no report of an ELT activation, and no such signals were received during an aerial search of the subject area.

According to individuals who had talked to the pilot, he planned to stop at Caldwell, Idaho to refuel prior to proceeding to Reno. Also reported by individuals at the Flying B Ranch, at the time of the pilot's departure, thunderstorm activity was building to the south, which is the normal departure route from this airstrip.

The aircraft, which was at the very southwest end of a box canyon, impacted the top part of 100-foot tall trees, about 500 feet below the pass to the next most westerly canyon.

Personnel information

At the time of the accident, the pilot held a private pilot certificate for single-engine aircraft and an instrument rating. The pilot's flight logbook was not made available for review, however, during the pilot's last Federal Aviation Administration medical examination, on April 3, 2003, for a Class III certificate, the pilot reported a total flight time of 2,620 flight hours, with 30 hours in the preceding six months. No waivers or limitations were reported.

A close friend to the pilot reported that he had flown into and out of the Flying B Ranch on several occasions. To this persons knowledge, the pilot had never been in the canyon where the accident occurred.

Wreckage and impact information

On site documentation and area photographs of the wreckage were provided by the Valley County Sheriff's Office during the recovery efforts. The officer on site reported that the accident site was located in an area that was covered with closely spaced trees in height to about 100 feet. The trees had been previously burned during a forest fire. The accident site coordinates were reported as 44 degrees 53.52 minutes north latitude, 114 degrees 53.32 minutes west longitude at an elevation of approximately 8,040 feet. To the west of the accident site, the valley closed in rising terrain. The surrounding terrain leading up to and along the valley ranged in elevation from about 8,300 to 8,600 feet.

The aircraft came to rest inverted with the nose of the aircraft pointing to about 30 degrees. Evidence of contact to trees was noted beginning about 96 yards to the north from the main wreckage. A path of broken trees leading up to the main wreckage was on a southerly heading. The right wing separated at the wing root and was positioned about 20 feet from the nose of the main wreckage. The left wing remained partially attached at the root and in its respective position.

The engine remained partially attached to the firewall and was displaced to the right side. One propeller blade separated from the propeller hub and was located in close proximity to the wreckage among a tangle of broken limbs. The other propeller blade remained at the engine.

The fuselage retained its basic shape, but the structure was compromised by impact forces resulting in buckling along the entire length and on all sides. The cabin area was crushed downward, resulting in reduced headroom. All three landing gear were separated.

The vertical stabilizer was bent over to the right side and flat against the remainder of the right side horizontal stabilizer. Both left and right side horizontal stabilizers indicated significant impact damage.

The wreckage was recovered by personnel from Snake River Aircraft Maintenance Inc., and transported to Twin Falls, Idaho, for further examination.

Medical and pathological information

The Ada County Coroner's Office, Boise, Idaho, conducted an autopsy on the pilot and reported the pilot's cause of death as blunt force trauma.

Toxicological samples were sent to the Federal Aviation Administration Civil Aeromedical Institute, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, for analysis. The results of the analysis were negative for carbon monoxide in blood, cyanide in blood, ethanol in urine and drugs in blood.

Additional information

On May 24, 2003, the pilot flew from Flying B to McCall, Idaho, to pick up supplies. While at the McCall Airport, the pilot met with an acquaintance. During the conversation, the pilot indicated that he was going to be heading back to Reno, Nevada, the next day. The pilot indicated that his proposed route was to depart from the Flying B and head down the Loon Creek drainage to the area of Mahoney Creek, then turn west and fly between Bruce Meadows and Deadwood Reservoir, then continue south to the Boise area, then on to Reno.

A Garmin GPSMAP 295 was recovered from the wreckage and sent to Garmin International, Inc., Olathe, Kansas, for downloading of retrievable data. The unit contained 11 waypoints, one route, and four individual track logs. The active log, dated May 25, 2003, contained 19 trackpoints and began approximately four nautical miles southwest of the Flying B Ranch Airstrip. The tracking terminated approximately eight miles south of the airstrip. The first trackpoint indicated the aircraft at 6,015 feet. The tracking continued on a southwesterly heading following the valley to a westerly heading for the next 2 minutes, 33 seconds, with a continued climb to 7,966 feet over a distance of about four nautical miles. Towards the end of the tracking the aircraft turned back to a southwesterly heading with the airspeed decreasing from the highest airspeed of 108 knots at the beginning of the tracking to the lowest airspeed of 63 knots towards the end of the tracking. The last tracking indicated the aircraft making a turn from southwesterly to the south, decreasing altitude and increasing airspeed. The last trackpoint indicated the aircraft at 44 degrees 53.657 north latitude, 114 degrees 53.109 west longitude at an altitude of 7,966 feet on a heading of 150 degrees magnetic and 72 knots airspeed.

Two other track logs dated May 23 (flight to Flying B Ranch) and May 24, 2003 (flight from Flying B Ranch). The departure route from the Flying B Ranch to McCall on May 24, indicated a southeasterly heading for about five nautical miles following the Loon Creek drainage, before turning southwesterly.

On July 16, 2003, at Snake River Aircraft Maintenance, Twin Falls, Idaho, investigators from the National Transportation Safety Board, Cessna Aircraft Company, and Teledyne Continental Motors inspected the airframe and engine.

Inspection of the right wing indicated a circular indent along the leading edge approximately six inches in diameter and 64 inches outboard from the wing root with crushing aft to the main spar. Brown colored transfer was noted in this area. The upper aft wing skin was torn open from the wing root, outboard to the aileron bell crank. The upper side of the wing skin was wrinkled starting at the leading edge wing root and transferred outward and aft at an approximately 45 degree angle. The aileron and flap remained attached to their respective hinges.

The left wing indicated a circular indentation about 53 inches outboard from the wing root with crushing aft to the main spar. The aileron and flap remained attached to their respective hinges.

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