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 three occupants suffered minor injuries during a precautionary landing near Headquarters.
- The incident stemmed from the pilot departing Orofino without refueling, having miscalculated the fuel needed to reach Missoula.
- During the subsequent emergency landing attempt in a logging area, a downdraft forced the aircraft into trees, causing the wings to break off.
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