Beechcraft A24-R N254M

Summary

On 4 July 2003 at about 18:00 local time, a Beechcraft A24-R registered N254M was involved in an accident near Yellow Pine, Idaho, United States. 3 people were on board and 3 died. The aircraft was destroyed. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

4 July 2003 at 18:00

Classification

Accident

Location

Yellow Pine, Idaho, United States

Nearest airport

Johnson Creek (3U2)

Coordinates

44.8522, -115.5011

Aircraft

Beechcraft A24-R

Registration

N254M

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Mc Call → Yellow Pine

Aircraft damage

Destroyed

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

SEA03FA123

3 people died.

The pilot's failure to maintain clearance. Factors include trees and mountainous terrain.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot was attempting to land at an airstrip located in mountainous terrain shortly before the accident occurred. Witnesses reported that the accident airplane was the lead aircraft of a flight of two. The pilot of the number two aircraft stated that both airplanes approached the destination airport from the North with intentions of landing on runway 17. He reported that he was approximately 1.5 miles in trail of the lead aircraft when the pilot radioed that he was going around. Witnesses on the ground reported that they observed the aircraft do a "standard" go-around and remarked that the engine powered up and the gear was retracting from the extended position during the maneuver. Shortly after the go-around, witnesses reported that they began receiving an ELT signal on a handheld radio that was tuned to 121.5 megahertz. The wreckage was later located in heavily wooded, down sloping terrain approximately four miles south of the airport. The elevation of the accident site was approximately 6,100 feet mean sea level (MSL). The first identified point of contact was a grouping of large conifer trees located near the ridge top, uphill from where the main wreckage came to rest. The airport is located in mountainous terrain. The airport has a single turf runway with an elevation of 4,933 feet above sea level. The State of Idaho Airport Facilities Directory entry for the airstrip states, "special considerations should be given to density altitude, turbulence, and mountain flying proficiency."

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.