Incident Name: Minidoka Fire, near Paul, Idaho
Date: 6/26/1981
Personnel: 3 lives lost
Age: pilot age 29
Agency/Organization: Bureau of Land Management
Position: aerial firefighters
Summary:
Names of the three who died are unknown, two were BLM firefighters, one was the pilot. If you have information, their names or a news article, please let us know.
On June 26, 1981, a contract pilot and two BLM firefighters died in the crash of a Cessna 182Q. The pilot attempted a go-around after a hard, bounced landing; the plane struck powerlines and crashed, killing all on board.
Maps
Simplot Airport, Idaho was the named airport but Burley Airport is likelty the accident site.
{mosmap lat=’42.540853’|lon=’-113.771022’|marker=’0’|text=Burley Airport, ID near Paul’}
fighting the Minidoka Fire, near Paul, Idaho
Reports, Documentation, Lessons Learned
- Concise Information from the NTSB, FAA, AAP and research by the WLF Staff:
- 6/26/1981
- 3 killed, names unknown
- Operator: unknown
- Type: CESSNA 182Q
- Location: near Paul, ID
- FAA Registration # N759NP
- NTSB # SEA81FA044
- National Transportation Safety Board: Probable Cause (html)Name of Airport: Simplot
Departure Point: Shoshone, ID
Intended Destination: Burley, ID
Type of Accident: Overshoot
Collided with wires/poles
Phase of Operation: Landing: Level off/touchdown
Landing: Go-around
Probable Cause(s)
PILOT IN COMMAND – Misjudged distance and speed
PILOT IN COMMAND – Delayed in initiating go-around
Factor(s)
PILOT IN COMMAND – Selected wrong runway relative to existing wind
Miscellaneous acts, conditions – Downwind
Fire after Impact
Remarks- Struck top wire of a power line.
- For more information consult the NTSB Online Lookup Utility Use NTSB Identification:SEA81FA044
- Lessons Learned Center database information:Date: 6/26/1981
Location: Paul
State: Idaho
Incident: Split Lake
Accident: Aircraft Accident
Category: Aircraft Accident
Organization: Federal
Agency: BLM
Number of People: Not Applicable
Shelters Available: Not Applicable
Shelters Deployed: Not Applicable
Fatalities: 3
Injuries: Not Applicable
Minidoka Fire
Paul, IDcontract pilot and 2 BLM firefighters died
Cessna 182Q pilot attempted a go-around after a hard, bounced landing; struck powerlines and crashed
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Contributors to this article: Mellie
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