What happened
A Ford Tri-Motor departed from Grangeville with the intent of transporting cargo and personnel to several locations within the Nezperce National Forest. The mission involved delivering supplies to a backcountry airstrip located at Moose Creek and dropping two smokejumpers onto a wildfire active on Pettibone Ridge.
The aircraft was carrying a crew consisting of a forest supervisor, a smokejumper foreman, and two smokejumpers. During the initial phase of the mission, the pilot attempted to land at the dirt runway in Moose Creek to offload goods before proceeding to the fire site. During this landing sequence, the aircraft struck trees situated at the end of the runway. The impact caused the plane to burst into flames.
Findings
The accident occurred during the landing phase of flight when the aircraft collided with vegetation at the edge of the airstrip.