At approximately 1225 mountain time, a Lockheed 402-2 was damaged while making a precautionary landing near Headquarters. The pilot and two passengers sustained minor injuries. The pilot said he could not take on fuel at Orofino Municipal Airport before departure because there was no refueler and he thought he could make it to Missoula. He departed, and then realized he would not have enough fuel to make it to Missoula, so he decided to return to Orofino. He then discovered he had a 25-knot headwind and could not make it back to Orofino, so he elected to land on an old logging staging area. During the approach to the area he got caught in a downdraft and went between two trees that broke off the wings.
July 04, Headquarters, Idaho / Lockheed Bushmaster
At approximately 1225 mountain time, a Lockheed 402-2 was damaged while making a precautionary landing near Headquarters. The pilot and two passengers sustained minor injuries. The pilot said he could not take on fuel at Orofino Municipal Airport before departure because there was no refueler and he thought he could make it to Missoula. He departed, and then realized he would not have enough fuel to make it to Missoula, so he decided to return to Orofino. He then discovered he had a 25-knot headwind and could not make it back to Orofino, so he elected to land on an old logging staging area. During the approach to the area he got caught in a downdraft and went between two trees that broke o...
Key Takeaways:
- A Lockheed 402-2 sustained damage and its pilot and two passengers minor injuries during a precautionary landing near Headquarters.
- The incident was caused by the pilot departing without refueling at Orofino, miscalculating fuel needs for the flight to Missoula, and then encountering an unexpected 25-knot headwind.
- While attempting an emergency landing on an old logging staging area due to insufficient fuel, the aircraft was caught in a downdraft, struck trees, and broke its wings.
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