Early report today as I'm off to KOSH for my annual dose of aviation madness!
Here are your stories...
Be safe out there!
Tom
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Helicopter crashes near Fitztown
Richard R. Barron | The Ada News
An aerial applications (crop duster) helicopter crashed Tuesday afternoon on County Road 1630 about half a mile east of U.S. 377, about five miles south of Ada.
The pilot, the single occupant of the helicopter, described as a male in his 30s, was injured, and was transported by AirEvac to OU Medical Center in Oklahoma City. The extent of his injuries were not immediately known.
The aircraft, a Bell 206B, was registered to International Helicopters, LLC, of Lafayette, Louisiana, and International Helicopters personnel were on the scene.
A single ground wire on a People's Electric Cooperative (PEC) power line was damaged, but it was not known if it was related to the cause of the crash.
Airport Board to discuss safety facility
By Christina MacIntosh / Environmental Reporter
The Jackson Hole Airport Board is holding a workshop this week to discuss its plans to build an aviation safety facility.
The meeting will be at 8 a.m. Wednesday in the 
boardroom at the airport. Instructions on how to join remotely can be found at Tinyurl.com/AirportWorkshop.
The workshop is a chance for board members to discuss, and no votes will be taken, said Jeremy Barnum, the airport’s spokesperson. Most of the board’s conversation will be about rehabilitation of the southern part of the taxiway and a new checked baggage inspection system. The safety facility will be discussed as part of the board’s long-term planning.
The airport’s plans for the safety facility caused a stir in the spring, after the airport proposed building it outside its designated “development sub-zone.” The airport leases land from Grand Teton National Park. The sub-zone is a 30.5-acre site within its lease area where structures are permitted.
In response to community feedback, the airport paused the planning study to reconsider the facility’s size and location.
The airport needs firefighters to be able to reach the runway quickly, per federal regulations, and also needs space to store equipment.
Franz Camenzind, a prominent conservationist, criticized the airport administration and board for poor planning, saying they built “sexy, money-making” facilities first while neglecting to leave room for the firefighting base.
The airport’s existing safety facility is outdated and requires fire trucks to travel through areas where passengers board and disembark planes. There are also baggage carts, fuel trucks and other equipment in the area.
Airport staff originally planned to couple the safety facility with a storage facility for snow removal equipment, some of which currently sits outside due to lack of storage space.
Consultants identified three potential locations for the facility, all of which were outside the development zone. Following feedback from the public, airport staff and consultants returned to the drawing board, reconsidering what the facility should be for and exploring alternatives within the development zone.
Airport staff has recommended restarting the conceptual planning process to further explore those options, including soliciting feedback from the public and stakeholders. At Wednesday’s meeting, the board will discuss whether to restart the process.
NTSB Prelim: Cessna 195
(Airplane) Abruptly Pitched Nose Down For 1 Second Before It Struck A High Tension Transmission Line
Location: Pasco, WA Accident Number: WPR26FA233
Date & Time: June 24, 2026, 14:28 Local Registration: N3877V
Aircraft: Cessna 195 Injuries: 2 Fatal
Flight Conducted Under: Part 91: General aviation - Personal
On June 24, 2026, about 1428 Pacific daylight time, a float equipped Cessna 195, N3877V, was substantially damaged when it was involved in an accident near Pasco, Washington. The pilot and passenger were fatally injured. The airplane was operated under Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations as a Part 91 personal flight.
Preliminary recordings from the Tri-Cities Airport (PSC) Air Traffic Control Tower (ATCT) indicated that the accident pilot transmitted to the ATCT about 1421, when they were about 15 miles south of PSC and stated that they were a float plane with the intent to land on the Columbia River. The controller stated that landing would be at their own risk and requested that they report when their landing was assured. The pilot responded that they would report when their landing was assured. The controller transmitted PSC’s current wind and altimeter setting to the accident pilot, with no further transmissions received from the pilot.
According to multiple witness accounts and videos received, the accident airplane overflew the Ed Hendler Bridge from east to west and crossed the bridge between the north tower and the river’s eastern shoreline. It continued over the river on a westerly heading for about 9 seconds, then abruptly pitched nose down for 1 second before it struck a high tension transmission line, about 1,040 ft west of the bridge. Subsequently, the accident airplane descended vertically into the Columbia River and came to rest in the river inverted, about 100-200 ft from the river’s eastern shoreline.
According to personnel at the Port of Kennewick, located on Clover Island in Kennewick, Washington, the pilot of the accident airplane contacted the Port by telephone, prior to the date of the accident and inquired about fuel availability at the Port’s marina. Employees at the Port communicated with the accident pilot regarding fueling options via the Port’s dock side fueling station and offered additional information for a local company who offered mobile fueling services for the same type of fuel, should the airplane need more fuel than the Port could provide.
According to the passenger’s family members, the flight originated from the airplane’s base of operations on the Napa River, near Napa, California, on the morning of the accident. The intended destination was the Tanglefoot Seaplane Base (D28), Cavanaugh Bay, Idaho.
The airplane was removed from the river by crane and set down on its right side, about 1,500 ft downriver from the impact site. Examination of the wreckage revealed that the floats and float struts, the empennage, engine and propeller assembly all remained attached to the fuselage. Both wings were observed separated from the fuselage at their roots and displayed leading edge crushing and denting. The left wing displayed tearing, crushing, and scraping at mid span, from the leading edge to the trailing edge. The left aileron was not observed with the recovered wreckage. Both wing flaps were observed in the extended position. Members of the Benton County Sheriff’s Office Marine Unit and Columbia Basin Dive Rescue team conducted a search for the aileron, however, it was not located.
The wreckage was recovered to a secure location for further examination.
FMI: www.ntsb.gov
Today in History
53 Years ago today: On 22 July 1973 Pan Am flight 816, a Boeing 707-300, crashed into the sea after takeoff from Papeete-Faaa Airport, Tahiti, killing 78 occupants; one survived the accident.
| Date: | Sunday 22 July 1973 |
| Time: | 22:06 |
| Type: | Boeing 707-321B |
| Owner/operator: | Pan American World Airways (Pan Am) |
| Registration: | N417PA |
| MSN: | 18959/470 |
| Year of manufacture: | 1966 |
| Total airframe hrs: | 27314 hours |
| Engine model: | P&W JT3D-3B |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 78 / Occupants: 79 |
| Other fatalities: | 0 |
| Aircraft damage: | Destroyed, written off |
| Category: | Accident |
| Location: | 3 km NE off Papeete-Faaa Airport (PPT), Tahiti - French Polynesia |
| Phase: | Initial climb |
| Nature: | Passenger - Scheduled |
| Departure airport: | Papeete-Faaa Airport (PPT/NTAA) |
| Destination airport: | Los Angeles International Airport, CA (LAX/KLAX) |
| Investigating agency: | BEA |
| Confidence Rating: | Accident investigation report completed and information captured |
Narrative:
Pan Am flight 816, a Boeing 707-300, crashed into the sea after takeoff from Papeete-Faaa Airport, Tahiti, killing 78 occupants; one survived the accident.
Flight PA816 was a regular flight from Auckland (AKL) to Los Angeles (LAX) with an intermediate stop at Papeete, Tahiti (PPT).
Boeing 707 "Clipper Winged Racer" took off from runway 04 at Papeete-Faaa Airport for its second leg of the flight. The airplane climbed to a height of 300 feet and initiated a left turn. It began to descend with an excessive bank turn and struck the sea. The wreckage sank into the 700 m deep waters off Papeete. Both CVR and FDR were not recovered.
PROBABLE CAUSE: Unknown. It is considered possible that an instrument failure may have diverted the crew's attention during the turn. Since it was dark outside and the turn was made towards the sea. No visual references were available.
