Flight History
On August 29, 2024, at approximately 1540 mountain daylight time, a Cessna T206H, registration N712AM, was destroyed in an accident near Yellow Pine, Idaho. The pilot and passenger sustained fatal injuries. The flight was conducted under Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 as a personal flight.
The airplane departed its home base at Phoenix Deer Valley Airport (DVT) around 0815, with a planned destination of Johnson Creek Airport (3U2) in Yellow Pine, Idaho. Preliminary ADS-B data indicated intermediate stops at St George Regional Airport (SGU) in St George, Utah, and Jerome County Airport (JER) in Jerome, Idaho.
After departing JER at about 1430, the airplane climbed northwest, reaching approximately 12,000 ft 27 minutes later. At 1507, it turned right to the north while maintaining altitude. Descent began at 1526, and the last ADS-B target at 1532 showed an altitude of 9,875 ft, about 11 miles south of 3U2.
Airport and Witness Observations
Johnson Creek Airport (3U2) is situated within a forest canyon at an elevation of 4,960 ft. It features a 3,400 ft by 150 ft turf runway oriented north-south, surrounded by steep terrain. Due to terrain and slope, runway 17 is typically used for landing, even with tailwinds.
An airport caretaker sitting in an office midfield on the east side of the runway observed an airplane flying right to left just above the runway surface at high speed—a sight she found unusual from that location.
Another witness outside reported seeing the airplane on a downwind approach at an unusually high altitude. He watched it land almost midfield, appearing fast with full flaps, in a flat pitch attitude with minimal flare. The airplane bounced twice while maintaining that flat attitude. After the second bounce, with about a quarter of the runway remaining, the nose dropped, and the airplane landed hard. It did not slow down, and as the runway end neared, the engine speed increased, indicating an attempted takeoff.
The airplane then climbed with an aggressive nose-up attitude, such that the witness could see its full overhead profile. It appeared the pilot was trying to avoid terrain at the end of the runway. The airplane rolled left and descended behind trees as the roll continued; a fireball ensued seconds later.
Wreckage and Impact
The main wreckage came to rest on a rock-strewn slope 1,750 ft south and 60 ft above the departure end of runway 17. The area was surrounded by conifer trees up to about 100 ft tall.
The first identified point of impact was at the top of an 85 ft tree containing a section of the outboard right wing and aileron. Two trees about 20 and 30 ft south had their tops severed, while taller surrounding trees were undamaged.
The right wingtip fuel tank was found on the slope about 140 ft beyond the initial impact. A ground disruption with fragments of clear plastic, sheet metal, a serrated propeller tip, and a landing light assembly was located about 40 ft downslope and southwest of the tip tank. From there, fragments fanned out to the main wreckage another 30 ft downhill.
Most of the airplane was consumed by fire, leaving charred remnants of the lower fuselage, empennage, and primary structure of both wings. Both flaps and all primary flight control surfaces were accounted for at the site. The flap motor jackscrew extension corresponded to a flap position between 5° and 10°. The wreckage was recovered to a remote storage facility for further examination.