Announces Administrative Changes

The Forest Service has released its report into the Sept. 20 crash of a Forest Service-chartered aircraft in which three people died and two survived. The agency will implement several administrative changes recommended by the accident investigation team to prevent a similar tragedy from occurring.

“The Forest Service’s accident investigation team’s charter was to review the agency’s administrative procedures leading up to the crash and during the search and rescue operation. In addition, our goal was to learn from what happened and to improve our safety procedures for the future,” said Team Leader Randy Moore.

“The team was not tasked to identify the cause of the accident, which is the role of the National Transportation Safety Board.” The Forest Service is cooperating with NTSB in its investigation, which is expected to be completed within the year.

Moore’s team found that the Forest Service’s contract with Edwards Jet Center did not specify the requirements for a pilot’s flight experience in wilderness or to properly define what was meant by “typical terrain” flight experience. The Forest Service often travels by aircraft to conduct its day-to-day operations.

For example, the workers on the Montana plane were traveling to conduct an annual vegetation inventory and to repair telecommunications facilities. The agency will now review and modify its current requirements for backcountry pilot experience as well as issue a standard definition for what constitutes typical terrain.

Investigators also found that clothing worn by most of the passengers sustained significant damage from the post-accident fire. However, a fire-resistant jacket worn by one of the passengers provided adequate burn protection for areas covered by the jacket. In light of these findings, the Forest Service will reevaluate appropriate personal protective equipment requirements for its fixed-wing backcountry flight operations.

Finally, the team found that while the radio check-in procedures for flight following were used, they provided limited and eventually, misleading information in the search and rescue operation. All personal gear and emergency locators were burned in the fire. These findings led to the third action item to step up the already-planned implementation of an automated flight following program, a real-time tracking system using satellite communication and internet systems. Until this program is fully implemented, latitude, longitude and heading reports will be required for radio check-in on Global Positioning Systems-equipped aircraft.

“My condolences are with the family, friends and coworkers of Davita Bryant, Ken Good and Jim Long. We will never forget them for their hard work and their dedication to natural resource management,” said Forest Service Chief Dale Bosworth. “My thanks to Randy Moore and his team for doing such a detailed investigation and for recommending action items that will improve the way we conduct aviation operations in the future.”

On Sept. 20, a pilot and four Forest Service employees were en route in a Cessna 206 from Kalispell, Mont., to the Shafer Meadows backcountry airstrip when their plane crashed and caught on fire. Pilot Jim Long, 60, and passenger Davita Bryant, 32, died in the crash. Ken Good, Jodee Hogg, and Mathew Ramige escaped the fiery aircraft with burns and injuries, huddling together the first night to ward off the effects of cold and moisture. Good, 58, died the following morning, prompting Hogg and Ramige to hike down the mountain before rescue personnel located the wreckage. Forest Service ground personnel located the wreckage the next day. Nearly two days after the crash, Hogg and Ramige, after a courageous and rigorous hike out of backcountry terrain, emerged on a local highway and flagged down a passenger car for help. Hogg is recovering from her injuries; Ramige is still undergoing treatment for his injuries.

NTSB Preliminary Report

NTSB Identification: SEA04GA192
14 CFR Public Use
Accident occurred Monday, September 20, 2004 in Essex, MT
Aircraft: Cessna U206G, registration: N206SM
Injuries: 3 Fatal, 2 Serious.

This is preliminary information, subject to change, and may contain errors. Any errors in this report will be corrected when the final report has been completed.

On September 20, 2004, approximately 1530 mountain daylight time, a Cessna U206G, N206SM, impacted mountainous terrain while maneuvering about 6 nautical miles northwest of Essex, Montana. The airplane was being operated under contract to the United States Forest Service (USFS) by Edwards Jet Center of Kalispell, Montana, as a public use flight. The purpose of the flight was to transport a forest inventory team from Kalispell to the Schafer USFS Airport, Schafer, Montana. Four USFS employees and an Edwards pilot were on board. The pilot and two USFS employees were killed, and the other two USFS employees sustained serious injuries. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed for the airplane's departure at 1500 from Glacier Park International Airport in Kalispell. An FAA flight plan was not filed; however, the airplane was receiving flight following services from the USFS.

According to USFS personnel, the flight was originally scheduled to depart at 1300. The scheduled departure was delayed from 1300 to 1500 due to weather conditions. The planned route of flight was to follow Highway 2 from Glacier Airport to a point about 3 miles south of the town of Essex, where the highway and the Middle Fork of the Flathead River separate. At this point, the flight was to leave the highway and follow the Middle Fork drainage to Schafer.

According to personnel at the Glacier Airport Tower, their last contact with the airplane was at 1508, when the pilot reported that he was through "the canyon" (Badrock Canyon approximately 8 miles northeast of Glacier Airport) and switching to "backcountry frequency" (USFS dispatch). Examination of radar data confirmed that at 1508, the airplane was exiting Badrock Canyon heading northeast. Radar contact with the airplane was lost at this time due to mountainous terrain. From Badrock Canyon, the airplane's planned route proceeded along Highway 2, which follows a large bend in the Middle Fork of the Flathead, heading first northeast, then east, and finally southeast towards Essex. At 1515, the airplane checked in with USFS dispatch, and the pilot reported his position as "Essex, inbound for Schafer." This was the last radio communication received from the airplane.

When the airplane did not check in with USFS dispatch as expected at 1530, a search was initiated. The wreckage of the airplane was spotted by ground searchers about 1345 on September 21, 2004. Search and rescue personnel reached the accident site via helicopter about 1510. The Deputy Coroner for Flathead County inspected the scene and announced that all five occupants were fatally injured. The ground search was suspended. Approximately 1430 on September 22, 2004, two survivors walked out of the Tunnel Creek drainage.

The airplane impacted rugged mountainous terrain near the head of the Tunnel Creek drainage of the Flathead Range at a Global Positioning System (GPS) location of 48 degrees 19.011 minutes North, 113 degrees 44.166 minutes West, and an elevation of 6,604 feet. The airplane came to rest in a sparsely wooded, rocky area on an upslope of 30 to 45 degrees. All major components of the airplane were accounted for in the main wreckage area. The debris path measured approximately 80 feet in length along a magnetic bearing of 165 degrees. The fuselage with both wings attached came to rest inverted, and the empennage, which remained attached to the fuselage by control cables came to rest upright. The engine had separated from the firewall, and the propeller had separated from the engine crankshaft. All flight controls remained attached to their respective attach points, and control continuity was verified from the control surfaces to the cockpit controls. The cockpit, cabin and the inboard sections of both wings were destroyed by fire. All three propeller blades were bent and twisted, the blade tips were broken off, and the blade leading edges were gouged and scraped.

FMI: www.fs.fed.us/fire/av_safety/mishaps/lessons_learned/index.html, www.ntsb.gov