ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 342655
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| Date: | Friday 9 September 1983 |
| Time: | |
| Type: |  Cessna T210 Turbo Centurion |
| Owner/operator: | |
| Registration: | |
| MSN: | |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 2 / Occupants: 2 |
| Aircraft damage: | Destroyed |
| Category: | Accident |
| Location: | 7 miles west of Dayton, Wyoming -
 United States of America
|
| Phase: | En route |
| Nature: | Fire fighting |
| Departure airport: | Sheridan Airport, Wyoming |
| Sheridan Airport, Wyoming | |
| Confidence Rating: |  Information is only available from news, social media or unofficial sources |
At 11:27, the Cessna T210 aircraft departed Sheridan Airport, Wyoming for air patrol of the northern part of the Big Horn National Forest with the pilot and a Forest Service observer on board.
The pilot radioed his position at the Tayler Mine Fire, a manned spot fire where the weather was reported to be sunny with scattered clouds at 1,200 feet. The pilot communicated that they were proceeding north toward the manned Smith Creek Fire, a distance of approximately 14 miles, where the winds were reported at ten miles per hour out of the south. Clouds/fog covered the tops of ridges in the vicinity and the temperature was 56 degrees Fahrenheit. General terrain in the fire area was mountainous, with some peaks reaching 7,200 feet.
At approximately 1150 MDT, the Forest Service fire crew at the Smith Creek Fire heard an aircraft engine south of their location, in the canyon. They did not see the aircraft, but heard its engine for approximately 30 seconds at high revolutions per minute (rpm) and very loud. Then they heard the ‘cracking’ sound of a crash.
At approximately 1210 MDT, the fire crew located the aircraft about one half of a mile south of the Smith Creek Fire, seven miles west of Dayton, Wyoming. The immediate vicinity of the mishap was a steep box canyon approximately 1,200 feet to 1,300 feet wide at the mishap elevation of 7,200 feet MSL. The wreckage was located on a steep slope with spruce and fir timber types of nine to 12 inches diameter breast height (dbh). The fire crew reported heavy fog in the treetops and variable winds from the south at the time they heard the aircraft and at the mishap site. The crew reported that both aircraft occupants were fatally injured. There was no fire at the wreckage site.
The mishap investigation team determined that the Cessna 210 was properly configured and carded for Forest Service use and that it had been properly maintained.
It was determined the aircraft engine was running at maximum power just prior to impact. The mishap sequence began when the right wing contacted a 10-inch dbh tree at about 25 feet above the ground. The aircraft had been in a steep right bank with the nose pointing down.
The aircraft, spinning in a clockwise direction, nose vertically down, struck trees, and the propeller sliced the tree several times throwing pieces 9 to 11 inches in diameter.
The first ground contact occurred when one propeller blade was deposited approximately 14 inches into the ground. The aircraft bounced up about six feet while still rotating to the right.
The probable cause of this mishap was the pilot failing to maintain altitude and airspeed, causing the airplane to stall and enter a spin. The pilot attempted to turn out of the canyon, which was too narrow to accommodate the required radius of turn without stalling the aircraft. The low cloud ceiling did not allow a climb out of the canyon under visual flight conditions. The pilot entered the canyon under conditions that made a safe exit difficult or impossible.
Sources:
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/2840945_United_States_Department_of_Agriculture_Forest_Service
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 31-Jul-2023 12:09 | harro | Added |
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