Incident Overview
A station manager of an air taxi company arranged a personal hunting trip for himself and friends, utilizing a company airplane. The station manager stated that he was personally paying for the flight and sharing other camping expenses with the hunting party. A company airline transport certificated pilot, along with an adult and two teen-aged passengers, departed for a remote airstrip on the first of two planned flights. The station manager said he was maintaining VFR company flight following procedures. The pilot was to return and pick up the station manager and the father of the teens after the first flight.
Delayed Return and Search
When the airplane did not return, the station manager said he did not become concerned, thinking the pilot was waiting for marginal weather conditions to improve. No radio contact was received from the airplane, and no emergency locator transmitter (ELT) signal was received initially. When the airplane did not return by the afternoon of the following day, the flight was reported overdue by the teens' father. Search personnel then began receiving an ELT signal in the area of the airstrip. Search aircraft located the airplane at the airstrip on the evening of the second day.
Pilot's Account
The pilot reported that he was asked by the company station manager to fly the passengers to the airstrip. He had not flown to the airstrip before but was told by the manager that the airstrip was 'better than most.' The pilot said he landed toward the west on the dirt airstrip, which is about 1,400 feet long and about 20 feet wide. During the landing roll, the right wing struck high vegetation along the right side of the strip, and the airplane veered off the right side into tall brush. The nose wheel landing gear strut was sheared off, and the propeller struck the ground. The pilot, who holds a mechanic certificate with airframe and powerplant ratings, said the right wing received minor leading edge denting and no structural damage occurred to the airframe at the nose wheel strut attach point.
Passenger's Account
The adult passenger reported that the airplane bounced hard during the landing flare and rebounded into the air for about 170 feet. The airplane drifted to the right and touched down with the right main landing gear, and the right wing hit alder bushes along the right side of the strip. About 250 feet after first contacting the alders, the airplane suddenly veered to the right, off the airstrip, and the nose wheel strut separated.
Aftermath
After the accident, the airplane was recovered and repaired. Over eight feet of the right wing's leading edge was replaced.