Cessna 208B accident near Bellevue, ID
On December 6, 2004, a Cessna 208B (airplane) was involved in an accident near Bellevue, ID. 2 people died. Damage to the aircraft: destroyed.
- Date
- December 6, 2004
- Place
- Bellevue, ID
- Aircraft
- Cessna 208B · Airplane
- Injuries
- 2 fatal, 0 serious, 0 minor
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Position
- 43.350°N, 114.217°W
- NTSB ID
- 20041209X01963
Official records · SEA05FA025
- Public docket: reports, statements and exhibits from the investigation
Air traffic control records
- Hailey Tower Controller Statements: Document (PDF), on ntsb.gov
- Transcript of Radio Communications: Transcript (PDF), on ntsb.gov
NTSB summary
HISTORY OF FLIGHT On December 6, 2004, about 1020 mountain standard time, a Cessna 208B, N25SA, registered to Spirit Air Inc., operated by Mountain Bird Inc., doing business as Salmon Air, Salmon, Idaho, as a 14 CFR Part 135, commercial cargo flight under contract with United Parcel Service, collided with flat open terrain located about seven miles south of Bellevue, Idaho. The flight was designated as Mountain Bird 1860. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time and an instrument flight rules flight plan was filed. The aircraft was destroyed by impact damage and a post-crash fire. The airline transport pilot-in-command and another company airline transport pilot that was on board for the purpose of transportation to his home base, and had no flight crew responsibilities were fatally injured. The flight originated from Salt Lake City, Utah, about one hour and fifteen minutes prior to the accident and was destined for Friedman Memorial (SUN), Hailey, Idaho. A witness who was working in a field next to the accident site reported that he heard the aircraft first then saw it at a low level below the cloud base flying in a southeasterly direction. The witness stated that the right wing was lower than the left as the aircraft continued to descend. The witness then noted that the wings were moving "side to side" a couple of times before the nose of the aircraft dropped near vertical to the terrain. This witness reported hearing the sound of the engine running steady throughout the event. Another witness in the area reported only hearing the sound of the engine "accele
Probable cause
The pilot's failure to maintain aircraft control while on approach for landing in icing conditions. Inadequate airspeed was a factor.
More accidents in ID
- Boeing 737, Jan 9, 2021
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- Mitsubishi MU-2B-36, Jan 15, 1996
- Cessna T303, Mar 3, 1998
- Cessna TU-206-G, Jul 3, 1988
Browse: Idaho · Cessna aircraft
Source: NTSB aviation accident database (US government, public domain). Findings may be preliminary or later revised by the NTSB. Not a complete global record.
