NTSB Identification: WPR14FA188
14 CFR Part 91: General Aviation
Accident occurred Tuesday, May 06, 2014 in Cody, WY
Probable Cause Approval Date: 09/17/2015
Aircraft: MOONEY M20C, registration: N6704U
Injuries: 2 Fatal.
NTSB investigators either traveled in support of this investigation or conducted a significant amount of investigative work without any travel, and used data obtained from various sources to prepare this aircraft accident report.
The two pilots were on a multi-leg cross-country trip in the airplane to visit friends and relatives. Both pilots had current medical certificates, and it could not be determined who was acting as pilot-in-command at the time of the accident. The pilot seated in the right front seat had owned the airplane for over 20 years and had accumulated considerable experience flying it. Neither pilot had an instrument rating.
Postaccident review of meteorological information indicated that at the time of the flight’s departure, the departure and arrival airports were reporting visual meteorological conditions; however, the initial segment of the flight required flight over mountainous terrain where instrument meteorological conditions (IMC) and mountain obscuration existed. There was no record of either pilot having obtained an official weather briefing before the flight; however, they were most likely aware of the mountain obscuration, as it would have been visible before takeoff and during the initial stages of the flight.
The airplane was equipped with a panel-mounted GPS receiver that was capable of providing minimum safe altitude information along a user-defined flight plan, but it is unknown if the pilots were using this feature. An iPad, which the pilots reportedly used for navigation, was found in the cockpit; however, impact damage to the device prevented determination of what navigation software was installed. Additionally a sectional chart covering the accident area was on board; however, the chart was found stowed in the rear pocket of the left front seat, indicating that the pilots were not using it during the flight.
Radar and weather data revealed that the airplane entered the clouds shortly after takeoff. The flight track began to waver slightly about 7 minutes after takeoff, likely due to the airplane being hand-flown as it entered IMC. The flight track remained generally on course toward the destination airport as the flight progressed, and there was no indication of an attempt to return to the departure airport. The airplane flew through the mountainous terrain at a fairly consistent altitude about 2,500 ft below the maximum elevation figure of 12,500 ft mean sea level shown on the sectional aeronautical chart for the area and eventually struck the side of a mountain about 430 ft below its summit.
The consistency of the airplane’s flight track indicates that the pilots most likely intentionally elected to enter IMC in an effort to fly over the mountainous terrain and into the clearer weather beyond. The airplane’s altimeter was set to the correct pressure, and postaccident examination did not reveal any anomalies with the airframe or engine that would have precluded normal operation. The investigation was unable to determine why the pilots elected to fly at an altitude below the maximum elevation for the area. While both pilots had reported histories of significant cardiovascular disease, autopsies and toxicological analysis did not reveal any findings that would have contributed to the accident. Although ethanol was detected in the right-seat pilot’s urine, the levels were not sufficient to have caused impairment.
The National Transportation Safety Board determines the probable cause(s) of this accident as follows:
The non-instrument rated pilots’ decision to continue flight into known instrument meteorological conditions over mountainous terrain, which resulted in controlled flight into terrain.
HISTORY OF FLIGHT
On May 6, 2014, at 1159 mountain daylight time, a Mooney M20C, N6704U, collided with mountainous terrain near Cody, Wyoming. The airplane was registered to, and operated by, the pilot/owner under the provisions of 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91. The private pilot/owner and private pilot-rated passenger sustained fatal injuries. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the forward fuselage and both wings. The cross-country personal flight departed Yellowstone Regional Airport, Cody, about 1140, with a presumed destination of Twin Falls, Idaho. Instrument meteorological conditions prevailed at the accident site, and no flight plan had been filed.
Both occupants were brothers and had departed from Fayetteville, North Carolina, on April 28 in the accident airplane with the intention of touring the country to visit friends and relatives. Their ultimate destination was Seattle, Washington, where they had planned on arriving by May 11.
Family members became concerned when they had not heard from both occupants by May 8, and initiated a series of exchanges with various local law enforcement agencies, airport personnel, and relatives throughout the Cody and Twin Falls area. On May 10, still unable to locate the occupants, family members contacted Lockheed Martin Flight Services, and an Alert Notice (ALNOT) was issued. Utilizing radar data provided by the Air Force Rescue Coordination Center, search and rescue personnel from the Park County Office of Homeland Security were able to visually locate the airplane by helicopter in mountainous terrain within the Shoshone National Forest.
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) provided radar data from the QSI (Lovell, Wyoming) Air Route Surveillance Radar sensor, which was located at an elevation of 9,962 ft, 60 miles east of the departure airport. The data revealed a primary target (no altitude information) on a beacon code of 1200, departing from the vicinity of Cody at 1141, and flying on a track of 248 degrees true towards the rising terrain of the Shoshone National Forest. Having passed over the town of Wapiti, 5 minutes later, the target initiated a right turn to 265 degrees and began reporting a Mode C altitude of 8,800 ft. For the next 6 minutes the target continued loosely on track as its heading varied back and forth 10 to 20 degrees in either direction. Having reached 9,900 ft, it passed below the 10,219 ft peak of Clayton Mountain, which was about 1 mile to the south. The track progressed for another 2 minutes, climbing another 200 ft, while passing 300 ft over an adjoining ridgeline, which rose above the targets altitude 500 ft to the south. The target continued on a course directly towards the eastern face of Howell Mountain, and over the next 96 seconds, began a climb to 10,500 ft as the terrain below fell away to 6,900 ft. The last recorded target occurred 24 seconds later, at an altitude of 10,200 ft.
The wreckage was located at an elevation of about 9,970 ft, on the eastern flank of Howell Mountain, about 430 ft below its summit, and about 1,200 ft northwest of the last target location.
PERSONNEL INFORMATION
Both occupants held current pilot licenses, and the airplane was equipped with dual controls. As such, a definitive conclusion regarding who was acting as pilot-in-command at the time of the accident could not be made.
Pilot/Owner
The pilot-rated owner was positioned in the right seat. He was 84 years old, and held a private pilot certificate with ratings for single-engine land, issued in 1967. He did not hold an instrument rating.
He held a third-class special issuance medical certificate issued on September 30, 2013, and valid for 1 year, based on a documented history of enlarged aortic root and aortic regurgitation. The certificate additionally had a limitation that he must have available glasses for near vision. At the time of application, he reported using Losartan and Hydrochlorothiazide.
On his most recent medical application, the pilot reported a total time in all aircraft of 4,550 hours, with 27 hours in the past 6 months.
FAA records indicated that he received a 60-day "Order of Suspension" on June 25, 2009, for landing and then crossing an active runway in the accident airplane at an airport in Class D airspace, without establishing radio contact with air traffic control tower personnel.
Pilot/Pilot Rated Passenger
The second occupant was positioned in the left seat. He was 86 years old, and held a private pilot certificate with ratings for single-engine land, issued in 1952. He did not hold an instrument rating.
The pilot's most recent application for a medical certificate was dated September 9, 2013. At that time he was found ineligible due to coronary artery disease treated with coronary artery bypass grafting, and sleep apnea treated with continuous positive airway pressure therapy. Following a review by the FAA medical certification branch, he was issued a special issuance third-class medical certificate valid until September 30, 2014, with the limitation that he must wear corrective lenses for near and distant vision. At the time of application, he reported using Lisinopril, Hydrochlorothiazide, Atenolol, and Potassium Chloride.
On his most recent medical application, he reported a total time in all aircraft of 625 hours, with 27 hours in the past 6 months.
AIRPLANE INFORMATION
The airplane was manufactured in 1963 and purchased by the pilot/owner in 1991. No maintenance records were recovered; however, a work order revealed that the last annual inspection, along with routine maintenance, was completed on April 7, 2014, at a maintenance facility in Kent, Washington. At that time the airplane had accrued a total of 4,407 flight hours. The tachometer time at the accident site indicated 4,448.5 hours.
The airplane was equipped with a single King KX-170B Nav/Comm transceiver and Indicator, along with a Garmin GNC-300XL GPS Receiver/Comm. Although the Garmin unit was certified for IFR (instrument flight rules), a placard had been installed stating, "GPS APPROVED FOR VFR FLIGHT ONLY".
Onsite examination revealed that the frequency gauge of the King Navigation unit was set to 114.80 MHz, with the course index set to 250 degrees. This frequency selection did not match any navigation aids along the route of flight, with the closest match being the Worland (RLY) VOR (very high frequency omnidirectional range) ground station, located 100 miles east-southeast of the accident site.
The airplane was equipped with an original equipment factory-installed autopilot, however, impact damage prevented an accurate assessment of its operational status at the time of the accident. An iPad was located in the forward cockpit, and according to family members, was used by the pilots for navigation. The unit was sent to the NTSB Vehicle Records Division for data extraction; however, it had sustained crush and bending damage which had destroyed its memory storage components.
METEOROLOGICAL INFORMATION
Lockheed Martin Flight Services reported that no records were located indicating that the airplane's registration number was used to request a weather briefing, either by phone or through any approved DUAT vendors during the 3-day period leading up to the accident.
The National Weather Service (NWS) Surface Analysis Chart for 1200 MDT depicted a low pressure system with a central pressure of 995-hectopascals (hPa) over southwestern Wyoming along a frontal wave with a warm front extending eastward across southern Wyoming. Further north, a cold front was depicted surging out of Canada into Montana. The accident site was located between these two systems in an area of light northerly wind, with temperatures in the mid 40-degree Fahrenheit (F) range, with temperature-dew point spreads of 4-degree F. Light continuous rain was reported immediately north of Cody in Montana.
Yellowstone Regional Airport was located at an elevation of 5,102 ft. The airport was equipped with an Automated Weather Observation System (AWOS) which reported the following conditions at 1135, about 5 minutes prior to departure:
Wind from 360 degrees at 12 knots, visibility unrestricted at 10 statute miles, a few clouds at 1,300 ft above ground level (agl), broken clouds at 1,900 ft, overcast clouds at 3,100 ft, temperature 8 degrees C, dew point 6 degrees C, and an altimeter setting of 29.75 inches of mercury.
At 1155, an updated observation included the following:
Wind from 360 degrees at 11 knots, visibility unrestricted at 10 miles, a few clouds at 1,300 ft, few clouds at 2,100 ft, overcast clouds at 3,300 ft, temperature 7 degrees C, dew point 5 degrees C, and an altimeter setting of 29.77 inches of mercury.
The terminal aerodrome forecast current during the accident period reported that marginal VFR conditions would prevail, with rain showers in the vicinity of Cody, scattered clouds at 900 ft agl, and overcast clouds at 1,500 ft. The weather was predicted to deteriorate further with overcast clouds down to 600 ft, and visibilities down to 2 miles.
The National Weather Service had a full set of AIRMETs (Airmen's Meteorological Information) current over the region, which reported mountain obscuration, turbulence, and icing conditions.
There were no SIGMETs (Significant Meteorological Information), Convective SIGMETs, or Weather Watches current prior to the accident. However, a Center Weather Advisory was issued by the Salt Lake City Center Weather Service Unit for an area of thunderstorms south of the accident site. Additionally, a convective SIGMET was issued for the area immediately south for an area of developing thunderstorms an hour after the accident.
The presumed destination, Twin Falls, was located at an elevation of 4,154 ft, 307 miles southwest of Cody. The initial route of flight took the airplane into the Absaroka Mountain Range, which contained peaks in excess of 12,000 ft. Beyond the accident site, a direct route would have taken the airplane over the lower open areas of the Snake River Plain, passing Idaho Falls, and onwards to Twin Falls.
A routine weather report (METAR) for Twin Falls was issued at 1053, which indicated wind from 250 degrees at 11 knots, 10 miles visibility, overcast clouds at 4,900 ft, and an altimeter setting of 29.75 inches of mercury. At 1353, winds were reported to be from 360 degrees at 4 knots, with 10 miles visibility, light rain, and an overcast ceiling of 3,200 ft.
Examination of the "Kollsman" window of the airplane's altimeter revealed that it was set to 29.75 inches of mercury.
WRECKAGE AND IMPACT INFORMATION
The airplane was located 44 miles west of Cody. Shortly after it was discovered, photographs were taken from a helicopter by the Park County Office of Homeland Security, which revealed that it was covered in snow that obscured the lower forward section of the cabin along with the left wing. The main wreckage came to rest facing uphill on a 30-degree slope, at the base of a steeper 45-degree sloping bowl area. The main cabin was upright on a heading of about 290 degrees magnetic, and the crushed remnants of the right wing outboard of the main landing gear were located about 80 ft to the left and uphill of the cabin. At that time, the left wing could not be located. Search and rescue personnel reported that the snow depths in the area ranged from 3 to 5 ft.
The occupants were removed from the airplane about 3 weeks after the accident, once the snow had melted sufficiently to allow safe access to the site. By that time the left wing outboard of the main landing gear was located in between the fuselage and the right wing. The outboard section of the wing was almost completely undamaged, with its aileron still attached; the corresponding left flap remained intact and connected to the fuselage at its inboard hinge. Small fragments of debris were observed in the snow continuing about 250 ft above the main wreckage.
MEDICAL AND PATHOLOGICAL INFORMATION
A postmortem examination was performed by Forensic Medicine and Pathology PLLC of Billings Montana. The cause of death for both occupants was reported as the result of multiple blunt traumatic injuries. Findings for the pilot/owner included hypertensive cardiovascular disease, with severe hypertensive, and atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease reported for the pilot/pilot rated passenger.
Toxicological tests on specimens recovered from both occupants, were performed by the FAA Civil Aerospace Medical Institute. Analysis revealed no findings for carbon monoxide.
For the pilot/owner, analysis revealed the following findings:
>> 10 (mg/dL, mg/hg) Ethanol detected in Urine
>> NO ETHANOL detected in Blood (Cavity)
>> NO ETHANOL detected in Muscle
>> Losartan detected in Urine
>> Losartan detected in Blood (Cavity)
For the pilot/pilot rated passenger, analysis revealed the following findings:
>> NO ETHANOL detected in Vitreous
>> Atenolol detected in Urine
>> Atenolol detected in Blood (Cavity)
Refer to the toxicology report in the public docket for specific test parameters and results.
TESTS AND RESEARCH
Examination
The remote location of the airplane, along with treacherous snow conditions prevented an examination at the site immediately following the accident. The airplane was not insured, and therefore could not be recovered in a timely manner. As such, the entire examination was performed at the accident site by the NTSB investigator-and-charge and an FAA inspector on July 16, 2014.
Fuselage
The cabin sustained crush damage from the firewall through to the rear windows. The instrument panel along with all cabin flight controls were crushed and fragmented. The tail cone had buckled forward and was twisted 15 degrees along its longitudinal axis to the right.
Fragments of composite spinner material, as well as paint chips, scat tube, and rubber engine mounts were located in the soil about 5 ft in front of the engine. Shredded fragments of the engine cowling were located surrounding the primary wreckage, with the furthest piece located in the bowl area about 100 ft above the engine.
A total of nine pieces of luggage were located in the aft cabin, with a total weight of about 70 pounds.
The throttle, mixture, propeller and carburetor heat controls were all in the full forward position.
Right Wing
The right wing, which separated at the wing root, had slid past the fuselage since the day of the accident, and was located 25 ft to the south. The wing sustained significant leading edge crush, with the outboard section bent 90-degrees-aft midspan. The main landing gear remained within the well. The flap had detached, and was separated into two sections; the outboard of which was located adjacent to the cabin, with the inboard section just behind the tail section. The aileron was located midway between the wing and cabin.
Left Wing
At the time of the examination, the outboard section of the wing had slid about 300 ft down the mountain slope. According to search and rescue personnel, it slid down due to rotor wash from the recovery helicopter. The wing had separated from the spar at the wheel well, where it exhibited upwards and aft bending damage at its root. The inboard section of the wing remained attached at the fuselage and exhibited crush damage, which had forced the leading edge skins up and over the spar. The main landing gear assembly had separated from the spar, and was located next to the engine.
Empennage
The vertical and horizontal stabilizers remained attached to the tailcone, with all of their respective control surfaces attached. The empennage assembly remained attached, and control tube continuity was established from the control surfaces through to the aft cabin. The surfaces moved smoothly when pushed by hand.
Engine
The engine sustained minimal damage, exhibited no indications of catastrophic failure, and remained partially attached to the firewall. The carburetor had separated at the intake manifold, and had become detached from the inlet filter box, which was crushed. The forward pushrods for cylinders number 2 and 4 (inlet pushrod #2, exhaust pushrod #4) exhibited aft curvature. Both magnetos remained firmly attached to their pads, with all respective spark plug wires intact. All top sparks plugs, and the bottom spark plugs for cylinder 1 and 3, were removed and examined. All plugs exhibited normal to worn-out normal wear signatures when compared to the Champion AV-27 Aviation Check-A-Plug chart.
The engine's position and weight prevented complete rotation of the crankshaft at the accident site, however, the propeller could be partially rotated and exhibited free and smooth movement, with drive train continuity confirmed to the magnetos. All fuel lines from the firewall through to the engine driven fuel pump and carburetor were intact and tight at their fittings. The carburetor and both magnetos were removed for follow up examination.
The propeller remained attached to the engine crankshaft and appeared to have sustained minimal damage. The composite spinner had fragmented, with additional shards located underneath the propeller hub.
Examination of the airframe and engine did not reveal any anomalies which would have precluded normal operation. A complete report is contained within the public docket.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
Maximum Elevation Figures
According to the Great Falls Sectional Aeronautical Chart that was current at the time of the accident, the depicted Maximum Elevation Figure in the area of the accident site was 12,500 ft mean sea level (msl); the accident site was located at 9,970 ft. The route of flight spanned the Great Falls and Salt Lake City Sectional Charts. Although a full complement of charts was located in the rear pocket of the forward left seat, the only chart located in the forward cabin area was for Seattle.
http://registry.faa.gov/N6704U
NTSB Identification: WPR14FA188
14 CFR Part 91: General Aviation
Accident occurred Tuesday, May 06, 2014 in Cody, WY
Aircraft: MOONEY M20C, registration: N6704U
Injuries: 2 Fatal.
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. NTSB investigators either traveled in support of this investigation or conducted a significant amount of investigative work without any travel, and used data obtained from various sources to prepare this aircraft accident report.
On May 6, 2014, about 1200 mountain daylight time, a Mooney M20C, N6704U, collided with mountainous terrain near Cody, Wyoming. The airplane was registered to, and operated by, the owner under the provisions of 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91. The private pilot/owner and private pilot rated passenger were presumed to have sustained fatal injuries. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the forward fuselage and both wings. The cross-country personal flight departed Yellowstone Regional Airport, Cody, about 1140, with a presumed destination of Twin Falls, Idaho. Instrument meteorological conditions prevailed at the accident site, and no flight plan had been filed.
Both occupants were brothers, and had departed from Fayetteville, North Carolina, on April 28, in the accident airplane, with the intention of touring the country to visit friends and relatives. Their ultimate destination was the Seattle area, where they had planned on arriving by May 11.
Family members became concerned when they had not heard from both occupants by May 8, and initiated a series of exchanges with various local law enforcement agencies and airport managers throughout the Cody and Twin Falls area. On May 10, still unable to locate the occupants, family members contacted Lockheed Martin Flight Services, and an Alert Notice (ALNOT) was issued. Utilizing radar data provided by the Air Force Rescue Coordination Center, search and rescue personnel from the Park County Office of Homeland Security were able to visually locate the airplane by helicopter in the Shoshone National Forest.
As of the publication of this report, due to the inhospitable nature of the terrain, the accident site was inaccessible to both NTSB and search and rescue personnel.
Mountain plane crash ends high-flying physics career of Robert Zimmerman and Boeing engineer brother
HUNTSVILLE, Alabama - Robert Zimmerman's life ended much as it had begun - deep in an American wilderness alongside his beloved older brother, Ward. On May 6, 2014, Robert's single-engine plane crashed into the side of a mountain near Yellowstone, 300 feet short of the 10,000-foot peak. The Zimmerman brothers, 84 and 86, had been flying across the U.S., visiting friends and relatives from Washington state to North Carolina.
Robert Zimmerman, former physics professor at Alabama A&M in Huntsville, and his brother were living an adventure that they dreamed up back when they were boys in South Dakota, says their sister, Hazel Zimmerman of Iowa. Her brothers would whittle airplanes from wood and install rubber-band motors. If any actual plane flew over, both would rush outside to gaze in wonder at the machine soaring above the short-grass prairie region of South Dakota where the family lived in a two-room house on a homestead without electricity or running water.
"Our food was what we could grow, raise or shoot," Hazel Zimmerman said. "The prairie provided wild game and choke cherries, wild plums and buffalo berries."
On May 5, the brothers stopped in Cody, Wy., departing Tuesday, May 6, 2014, during what they thought was a break in treacherous weather.
"Grounded in Wyoming," reads the text that Robert Zimmerman sent May 5 to his friend, Dr. Daryush Ila of Fayetteville State University in North Carolina. Zimmerman and Ila worked together at A&M from 1992 until 2011. "Freezing rains, scary high mountains all sides, but with food and warm beds."
Flying to Brazil
The brothers, both licensed pilots, had logged thousands of miles together - even island-hopping several times across the Caribbean to Brazil, where Robert Zimmerman taught for 36 years at the University of Sao Paolo. Ward, a retired Boeing engineer who invented the automatic engine controls used on all new commercial jets, had flown for the U.S. Navy during World War II. They both enjoyed working on the airplane and had scrupulous pre-flight inspections.
So the brothers had good reason to believe they could beat the storms and make it to Portland, Ore., where Ward's granddaughter had a homemade lemon pie, Ward's favorite, waiting for them.
"No one believes he is gone," said Dr. Ila, who has been fielding calls and emails from all over the world since the airplane disappeared on May 6. The wreckage was located May 12, but recovery of the bodies delayed by weather until Tuesday, May 27, 2014. "I saw one newspaper that described him as 'elderly' - they have no idea. Just at New Year's, we were skiing at Mt. Hood - he went from 9 a.m. until 6 p.m. 'Elderly?' They have no clue."
Zimmerman infused his life with adventure. Extraordinarily bright - despite a horse's kick to his head when he was 2 that a doctor was sure would result in brain damage - he finished high school by 14. By 17, he began graduate work at M.I.T., where he completed a doctorate at 22.
During his years in Brazil, Zimmerman started a tennis school for students that helped kids win scholarships to universities around the world. He learned to fly accompanying his friend, Dr. Lawrence Holland, on a trip around Cape Horn, the southern-most point of South America.
Holland, a visiting scientist in Brazil in the 1960s, became friends with Zimmerman when Holland's colleagues, alarmed that he was sick, alerted the only other American on the staff. Zimmerman hopped on his bike, balancing a bucket of hot soup, with books on top. He walked in to Holland's hotel room, saying, "Hello. My name is Robert Zimmerman. I think this soup can help you."
Interested in everything and always ready for adventure, Zimmerman enjoyed surfing and hiking. He would leap from a mile-high mountain in Brazil to hang-glide on the winds, spiraling down to a beach miles away. In the early 1990s, after his first marriage had ended, he married eminent Brazilian physicist and operatic singer, Adelaide de Almeida. The pair traveled together around the world to speak at scientific conferences. They are scheduled to speak at an international conference in Japan in August.
"He was awesome," said Malek Abunaemeh, who wrote his dissertation with Zimmerman's direction at A&M. Abunaemeh is now professor of physics at the University of West Florida. "He always made you feel smarter than you are."
"Bob's biggest passion was people," said Lawrence Holland. "He could make anyone understand and love physics."
For more about the crash and subsequent search and rescue attempts, see these stories:
Story, photo gallery and comments: http://blog.al.com
Park County Sheriff’s Office
A Sky Aviation helicopter inserts the Park County Sheriff’s Office Search and Rescue ground team at the site.
Cornice
The snow cornice that hangs over the site of the wreckage.
Courtesy photo
Wreckage
The Mooney M20C Ranger aircraft as it rests in a ravine on the eastern slope of Howell Mountain.
Courtesy photo
Search and Rescue
Park County Search and Rescue personnel return from their discovery of the wreckage.
Courtesy photo
National Guard
Black Hawk helicopter from Charlie Company 5-159, Wyoming Army National Guard.
The Mooney M20C Ranger aircraft as it rests in a ravine on the eastern slope of Howell Mountain.
~
Courtesy of Zimmerman family
Pilot Ward Zimmerman, right, of Seattle, missing in the crash in Wyoming, is seen in a family photo next to his son Ward Zimmerman III.
Ward Zimmerman
KULR-8 Television, Billings, MT
CODY, Wyo. - The bodies of two elderly
brothers who died in a plane crash in Yellowstone National Park earlier
this month have been recovered from the crash scene.
The Park
County Sheriff's Office said the bodies of Robert L. Zimmerman, 84 of
Huntsville, Ala., and his older brother, 86-year-old Ward H. Zimmerman
of Seattle, Wash., were recovered by search and rescue members Tuesday
morning.
The bodies of the men were found in the seats of the
Mooney M20C aircraft that crashed near the summit of Howell Mountain,
according to a sheriff's office press release.
"An examination of
the site indicated that the plane aircraft impacted the mountain some
300 feet from the top and slid down the mountain to its final resting
place," the press release states. "Although it appears as though they
both died on impact, an exact cause of death is pending an autopsy."
The
men departed Yellowstone Regional Airport on May 6 and planned to fly
top Twin Falls, Idaho. They were reported missing by family members on
May 10, and the wreckage was located by a search helicopter on May 12.
Officials delayed recovery efforts due to the conditions on the mountain that created an avalanche risk.
The Park County Sheriff’s Office Search
and Rescue Team (SAR) has recovered the bodies of two elderly brothers
who crashed their small plane on the eastern slope of Howell Mountain
earlier this month.
The bodies of Robert L. Zimmerman, 84, of
Huntsville, Ala., and his older brother Ward H. Zimmerman, 86, of
Seattle, were evacuated from the wreckage of their Mooney M20C aircraft
at about 9:30 a.m. Tuesday.
The Zimmermans departed Yellowstone
Regional Airport at 11:30 a.m. Tuesday, May 6, en route to Twin Falls,
Idaho, via Yellowstone Park. They were reported missing by family
members the following Saturday. The wreckage was located the morning of
May 12 by SAR using a helicopter from Sky Aviation out of Worland.
The
location of the aircraft is on the eastern slope of Howell Mountain
about 4.5 miles south of Highway 14-16-20 west at the Buffalo Bill Boy
Scout Camp. Tests performed by SAR at the time of the discovery
determined that the snowpack directly above the wreckage was unstable
and that the risk of an avalanche was too high to attempt to reach the
plane. However, due to the condition of the wreckage and harsh
environmental conditions at the time, both brothers were presumed dead.
Sheriff
Scott Steward surveyed the site from the air on Monday and was able to
see firsthand that the mountain and surrounding snowfall was more
stable. He, therefore, made the decision to send in a team Tuesday.
Using the same helicopter piloted by Bob Hawkins of Sky Aviation, five
members of SAR, including commander Martin Knapp were inserted into the
crash scene at about 7 this morning.
Conditions at the site,
including the slope of the mountain, prevented the helicopter from
landing. As a result, the SAR team was inserted into the site as the
helicopter hovered with the front of its skids touching the snow and the
back of its skids some 3 feet from the ground, 100 yards from the
wreckage. The Zimmermans were then airlifted out using a “long line”
deployed from the helicopter.
Steward praised the dedication and bravery of the SAR members.
“Park
County should be extremely proud of these volunteers,” Steward said. “I
consider them one of the best, if not the top search and rescue unit in
the state.
“It was unfortunate that we had to wait as long as we
did to get the victims out, but I could not consciously send our folks
in to the extremely dangerous avalanche situation that we were faced
with, so I made the call to wait until the conditions were safe. The
families understood our decision.”
Both victims were discovered
still in their seats. An examination of the site indicated that the
aircraft impacted the mountain some 300 feet from the top and slid down
the mountain to its final resting place. Although it appears as though
they both died on impact, an exact cause of death is pending an autopsy.
“The
recovery mission went off like a well-oiled machine,” Steward said.
“The team was in and out with extreme precision and the mission was over
in less than four hours. Hopefully this will help bring closure to the
family as well as our team members.”
Source: http://www.codyenterprise.com
CODY,
Wyo. — It may be months before search and rescue members can reach a
Mooney M20C Ranger plane that crashed on a mountain in northwest
Wyoming.
The two elderly brothers from Alabama and Washington
were on board the aircraft. They are presumed dead based on aerial views
of the crash site on a rugged, snow-covered mountain just outside
Yellowstone National Park.
The Park County Sheriff’s Office says
the danger of avalanche makes it too risky to put people on the ground
to recover the bodies and the plane. Sheriff’s Office spokesman Lance
Mathess says it could be two weeks or two months before the avalanche
danger ends and the deep snow melts enough to allow recovery. The
brothers were headed from Cody to Twin Falls, Idaho, and then to
Seattle.
The pilot and passenger of an airplane
that crashed up the North Fork are presumed dead, the Park County
Sheriff’s Office said Tuesday.
After
reviewing aerial photographs and discussions with Search and Rescue
personnel, Sheriff Scott Steward concluded the brothers died as a result
of the crash.
“Given the damage to the aircraft as well as the
extremely harsh environmental conditions in the area, there’s no other
conclusion we can make,” Steward said.
Brothers, Robert
Zimmerman, 84, of Huntsville, Ala., and Ward Zimmerman, 86, of Seattle,
Wash., departed Yellowstone Regional Airport at 11:30 a.m., Tuesday, May
6, en route to Twin Falls, Idaho via Yellowstone Park.
They were reported missing by family members the following Saturday.
S&R
located the plane (a 1963 Mooney M20C aircraft) in the Washakie
Wilderness area at 9:19 a.m., Monday, May 12, using a helicopter
provided by Sky Aviation of Worland.
The crash site is on the
eastern slope of Howell Mountain (about 4.5 miles south of the North
Fork Highway at the Buffalo Bill Boy Scout Camp).
The plane was
settled in a steep ravine on a 60-degree slope with a large cornice of
snow situated above it. S&R reported heavy front-end damage and a
wing torn from the plane.
S&R determined the snowpack above
the wreckage was unstable and the risk of avalanche was too high to
attempt to reach the plane.
A Wyoming Army National Guard Black
Hawk helicopter (Charlie Company 5-159) flew over the scene of the
wreckage Monday to evaluate the possibility of winching a crew member to
the site to determine the condition of the occupants.
S&R commander Martin Knapp, accompanying the National Guard, determined the avalanche risk was too high.
“After
reviewing the conditions at the site of the wreckage, and taking into
account my years of experience in avalanche evaluation and mitigation, I
simply could not in good conscience risk any more lives,” Knapp said.
“I realize it’s hard for the family of the brothers, but I have been in
contact with them and they were in complete agreement with our
decision.”
Steward praised S&R for their unselfish sacrifice and persistent determination.
“Our
initial team spent over 14 hours in the back country on foot trekking
through five feet of snow, over extreme mountainous terrain, in winds of
up to 50 mph in an attempt to reach the downed aircraft,” he said.
“These people are volunteers and I can’t say enough about their
dedication.
“The people of Park County are fortunate to have them available.”
The sheriff’s office will continue monitoring conditions at the site and will begin recovery as soon as possible.
Residents are encouraged to avoid the area due to the avalanche hazard and out of respect for the Zimmerman family.
“Our
prayers go out to the family of the Zimmerman brothers. The Park County
Sheriff’s Office family wishes to express our sincere condolences,”
Steward said.
A small airplane missing nearly a
week was found Monday morning on the eastern flanks of Howell Mountain,
about 4.5 miles south of Eagle Creek Trailhead on the upper North Fork.
The sheriff’s office said the pilot of a helicopter from Worland spotted the plane wreckage while searching the area.
Authorities
were trying to reach the crash scene Monday afternoon. Avalanche danger
at the scene was high and a larger helicopter was being brought in to
help determine the status of the occupants. The plane, with heavy front
end damage and one wing torn off, is settled in a steep ravine.
Two
elderly brothers flew out of Yellowstone Regional Airport bound for
Twin Falls, Idaho, last Tuesday and have not been heard from since.
According
to the Park County Sheriff’s Office, pilot Robert Zimmerman, 84, of
Huntsville, Ala., and his brother Ward Zimmerman, 86, of Seattle, Wash.,
landed at YRA on Monday, May 5, on their way to the Seattle area with a
stopover in Twin Falls.
On Saturday the Twin Falls Police
Department contacted the 911 Communications Center in Cody with a
request to check with YRA for a 1963 Mooney M20C airplane.
According
to relatives of the brothers, while it is not unusual for them to
change travel plans, it is unusual for them to be out of touch for so
long.
Joel Simmons of Choice Aviation confirmed to authorities
the Zimmermans refueled at their facility and, after spending the night
in Cody, departed YRA at 11:30 a.m. May 6.
Simmons said weather
May 6 limited visibility. Because Robert Zimmerman intended to follow
Visual Flight Rules and avoid areas of low visibility he was not
required to file a flight plan.
The county Search and Rescue team
(SAR) was deployed into the Kitty Creek drainage of the North Fork,
based on archived radar data from the Air Force Rescue Coordination
Center to a point about four miles south of US 14-16-20 and west of Camp
Buffalo Bill BSA.
Searchers were unable to detect any
transmissions from the plane’s Emergency Location Transmitter (ELT), a
device which is activated automatically by a hard landing.
This is the third airplane crash in Park County in the past year. Everyone on board survived the first two incidents.
In
October 2013 two men from Alaska suffered minor injuries after their
single-engine Piper 180 went down inside the east boundary of
Yellowstone, southeast of the east gate road near Sylvan Pass.
In
August 2013 the 17-year-old pilot of a Cessna 172 from Billings crashed
west of Meeteetse during her first solo flight. She was found by a
hunter and taken to the hospital.
CODY, Wyo. - A missing
plane belonging to a Seattle pilot and his brother has been spotted on a
mountain slope in a remote area of Wyoming not far from Yellowstone
National Park, officials said.
The
plane, a 1963 Mooney M20C aircraft that was reported missing on
Saturday, was spotted Monday morning by the Park County (Wyo.) sheriff's
search and rescue team on the eastern slope of Howell Mountain.
The
condition of the two brothers who were flying in the craft is still
unknown because rescuers have been unable to reach the crash site.
The
two - identified earlier as Ward H. Zimmerman, 86, of Seattle and his
brother Robert, 84, of Huntsville, Ala. - were on a cross-country trip
when their plane disappeared.
Lance Mathess of the Park County
Sheriff's Office said the aircraft is settled in a steep ravine at about
9,900 feet in elevation with a large cornice of snow above it. The
plane has heavy front end damage and one wing has been torn away.
A
rescue helicopter was able to land two searchers on top of Howell
Mountain, Mathess said, but tests found that the snowpack directly above
the wreckage was extremely unstable and that the risk of an avalanche
was too high to attempt to reach the plane.
A Black Hawk
helicopter has been requested and is en route to the area from the Air
National Guard base in Cheyenne, Wyo. Once it reaches the scene, options
will be discussed that include possibly lowering rescuers down to the
wreckage to determine the condition of the occupants, Mathess said.
The
search for the missing brothers and their plane earlier was delayed by
poor weather, but conditions improved enough Monday morning to resume
searching.
Ramiro Rico, Zimmerman's grandson, said his
grandfather left their Seattle home a couple months ago to go on a
flying trip with his brother.
The two pilots were headed from Cody, Wyo., to Seattle with a stop in Twin Falls, Idaho, but they never arrived.
Family members said Zimmerman and his brother made many flights together - some as far as South America.
Story and comments: http://www.komonews.com
CODY, Wyo. – Search and rescue teams spotted the small single-engine aircraft carrying an 86-year-old Seattle man and his brother crashed on a ravine near the Yellowstone National Park Monday.
The condition of the brothers was not known at 2 p.m., Park County Sheriff’s Office officials said.
Rescue teams searched for 84-year-old Robert L. Zimmeraman of Huntsville, Ala., and 86-year-old Ward H. Zimmerman of Seattle, Washington Sunday and Monday. The two brothers were reportedly flying over Yellowstone National Park en route to Twin Falls to visit friends on May 6. From there, they intended to fly to Seattle. They have not been heard from since landing in Cody, Wyoming.
The missing aircraft was located around 9 a.m. Monday near Howell Mountain in Wyoming. It was settled on a steep ravine, sheriff’s deputies said, with a large cornice of snow situated above it. The plane has heavy front end damage and one wing has been torn from the plane.
A helicopter was able to land two SAR personnel on top of Howell Mountain directly above the wreckage. Tests performed by the SAR team determined that the snowpack directly above the wreckage was extremely unstable and that the risk of an avalanche was too high to attempt to reach the plane, officials said
A Black Hawk helicopter has been requested and is en route to Cody from the Air National Guard base in Cheyenne. Once it reaches the scene, options will be discussed that include possibly lowering rescuers down to the wreckage to determine the condition of the occupants, officials said.
In the snowed-in mountains near
Yellowstone National Park, the crashed plane piloted by two brothers, in
their 80s, was found Monday.
Family members of the two brothers,
both pilots in their 80s, whose single-engine plane was found crashed
Monday near Yellowstone National Park are still holding out hope the two
are alive.
The brothers flew out of Cody, Wyo., on May 6, even
though the snowy, rainy weather was bad enough that the man in charge
where they refueled said he wouldn’t have done it.
The Park
County Sheriff’s Office in Cody said the 1963 Mooney M20C “settled in a
steep ravine with a large cornice of snow situated above it. It has
heavy front-end damage, and one wing has been torn from the plane.”
But
the threat of an avalanche kept rescuers on Monday from getting to the
plane from where their helicopter had landed on top of a mountain
overlooking the crash, said a Sheriff’s Office news release.
It said the condition of the brothers isn’t yet known.
Ward
Zimmerman, 86, a retired Boeing engineer from Seattle, and his brother,
Robert Zimmerman, 84, of Huntsville, Ala., had been flying around the
country for several weeks on a pleasure trip.
Both were longtime, experienced pilots, said Jim Zimmerman, of Renton, a son of Ward Zimmerman.
On
Monday, the sheriff asked for a Black Hawk helicopter from the Air
National Guard base in Cheyenne to help out. It has winch capabilities.
Once
the Black Hawk reaches the scene, said the Sheriff’s Office, “options
will be discussed that include possibly lowering rescuers down to the
wreckage to determine the condition of the men.”
It wasn’t clear whether that would happen late Monday or sometime Tuesday.
Meanwhile, relatives held out hope.
“It doesn’t look good right now, but they haven’t confirmed anything,” said Jim Zimmerman.
Zimmerman
said his dad and uncle kept in touch with various family members, who
had not heard from them since last Tuesday. But it was not unusual for
the brothers to deviate from their travel plans.
On Thursday, the family began making calls to authorities.
The Sheriff’s Office said the plane was last seen Tuesday departing Yellowstone Regional Airport.
The
brothers were headed from Cody to Twin Falls, Idaho, and from there to
Seattle. Radar last detected the plane about seven miles outside the
Yellowstone east entrance in northwest Wyoming, said the Sheriff’s
Office.
On Monday, Joel Simmons, director of operations at Choice
Aviation in Cody, the facility from which the brothers had refueled,
said the two brothers felt that a departure at around noon gave them “a
little window” in between “some big weather systems.”
It had been
raining and snowing throughout the day, he said. Simmons said he
wouldn’t have taken off then for a flight to Twin Falls.
“It was
inclement weather, freezing temperatures, a low cloud cover over some
mountains west of us,” said Simmons. “They said they were comfortable
with it and would push out of there. They were determined to keep
moving.”
He said the brothers did say that if the weather worsened, “they would try to come back.”
Initially,
the Sheriff’s Office said that due to the size of their aircraft, the
brothers were not required to file a flight plan.
Planes fly with
either Visual Flight Rules (VFR), in which they use cues such as the
horizon or buildings, or Instrument Flight Rules (IFR), the kind used
when there is no visibility outside and mandated for all commercial
passenger planes.
Simmons said the brothers’ plane wasn’t equipped with IFR and doesn’t believe they were even “IFR rated.”
It
is up to pilots to make the final decision on whether to fly out using
visual rules and decide if the weather permits it, although the FAA has
guidelines.
It is up to them whether or not to file a flight plan when flying VFR, said the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association.
They hadn’t.
http://seattletimes.com
Occupants presumed dead in North Fork plane crash
Searchers
found the wreckage of a private plane on a North Fork mountain Monday
morning and the two occupants are presumed to be dead.
The plane
carrying pilot Robert L. Zimmerman, 84, of Huntsville, Ala., and his
86-year-old brother, Ward H. Zimmerman of Seattle, is believed to have
crashed on May 6 as they attempted to fly from Cody to Twin Falls,
Idaho.
Park County Search and Rescue personnel spotted the
wreckage of the Mooney M20C Ranger aircraft around 9:15 a.m. Monday on
the eastern slope of Howell Mountain. It was found in a steep ravine
about four and a half miles south of U.S. Highway 14-16-20 West and the
Buffalo Bill Boy Scout Camp.
After reviewing aerial photographs
and talking with Search and Rescue personnel and the crew of a Black
Hawk helicopter that surveyed the scene, Park County Sheriff Scott
Steward "was forced to conclude that the brothers perished as a result
of the crash," said Lance Mathess, a spokesman for the agency.
“Given
the damage to the aircraft as well as the extremely harsh environmental
conditions in the area, I think there’s no other conclusion we can
make,” Steward said in a Tuesday morning statement.
The sheriff extended his condolences to the Zimmerman family.
The
brothers were experienced pilots on a multi-week, cross-country trip
that was to include a flight over Yellowstone National Park as they
headed back to Seattle, a family member told The Seattle Times.
The plane suffered heavy front end damage and a wing was torn from the aircraft, Mathess said.
A
helicopter from Sky Aviation brought two Search and Rescue members to
the top of Howell Mountain after the discovery, but dangerous snow
conditions prohibited them from descending to the plane, Mathess said.
A
Black Hawk helicopter from Charlie Company 5-159 of the Wyoming
National Guard flew over the scene on Monday afternoon. There had been
hopes that the chopper could lower a crew member to the plane via winch
to determine the condition of the occupants, but the risk of avalanche
was found to be too high.
Mathess said the brothers flew into
Yellowstone Regional Airport on May 5, then spent the night in Cody
before flying out at 11:30 a.m. on May 6.
The Zimmermans’ family
members began calling authorities about the overdue brothers on
Thursday, The Seattle Times reported. Police in Twin Falls contacted the
Park County Sheriff’s Office and asked for help around midday Saturday,
Mathess said.
The U.S. Air Force Rescue Coordination Center used
archived radar data to track the Zimmermans’ flight path and provide
what turned out to be the general area of the crash site, Mathess said.
Park
County Search and Rescue personnel were deployed to the Kitty Creek
area on Sunday, but poor weather prohibited any aerial searches until
Monday.
Howell Mountain tops out at 10,964 feet in elevation.
Sheriff
Steward praised the dedicated efforts of the Search and Rescue
volunteers, who spent more than 14 hours on the backcountry search
despite difficult weather conditions.
