At approximately 20:40 mountain time, a Cessna 150E struck a tree while making a low pass over a summer camp about six miles northeast of Ashton. The unlicensed pilot and two passengers were killed. Witnesses said the aircraft was flying wings-level toward the camp at a low altitude. The aircraft then overflew the camp very close to the tree tops. After the first pass, the aircraft gained altitude, reversed course to the south, and then descended toward the camp again. During the second pass, which was lower than the first, someone in the aircraft dropped a written note to one of the campers on the ground. The aircraft then flew about 280 feet past the center of the camp before impacting a tree near the inboard edge of the left wing.
July 12, Ashton, Idaho / Cessna 150
At approximately 20:40 mountain time, a Cessna 150E struck a tree while making a low pass over a summer camp about six miles northeast of Ashton. The unlicensed pilot and two passengers were killed. Witnesses said the aircraft was flying wings-level toward the camp at a low altitude. The aircraft then overflew the camp very close to the tree tops. After the first pass, the aircraft gained altitude, reversed course to the south, and then descended toward the camp again. During the second pass, which was lower than the first, someone in the aircraft dropped a written note to one of the campers on the ground. The aircraft then flew about 280 feet past the center of the camp before impacting a...
Key Takeaways:
- An unlicensed pilot and two passengers were killed when their Cessna 150E struck a tree during a low pass over a summer camp near Ashton.
- The aircraft made an initial low pass, then reversed course for a second, even lower pass during which a note was dropped to a camper.
- The fatal impact occurred when the aircraft hit a tree approximately 280 feet past the center of the camp during this second maneuver.
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