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 pilot departed without sufficient fuel, mistakenly believing he could reach his destination after failing to refuel at his departure airport.
- Realizing a fuel shortage and encountering an unexpected headwind, the pilot could not return and attempted a precautionary landing at an old logging area.
- During the emergency landing, the aircraft was caught in a downdraft, struck trees, sustained wing damage, and resulted in minor injuries to the pilot and two passengers.
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