Plane Impacted Terrain At An Elevation Of About 9,900 Feet On A 60 Degree Slope; Recovery Is Precluded Due To Avalanche Danger

A 1963 Mooney M20 disappeared last week after departing from Yellowstone Regional Airport. According to reports from Seattle-based King5 News and the Associated Press, two brothers were planning a flight from Cody to Seattle. When the airplane did not arrive at its destination the search was started and the wreckage of the aircraft was found.

The occupants of the airplane were identified as Robert L. Zimmerman, 84, and Ward H. Zimmerman, 86. It was reported that an attempt to use a Wyoming Army National Guard helicopter to drop a crew member down to the plane to determine the condition of the two men was abandoned after search-and-rescue members saw the crash site and the avalanche danger. Through aerial surveillance it has been determined that the occupants did not survive the crash.

According to the report from King5 News, Sheriff's Office spokesman Lance Mathess said no one can say now when the conditions will improve. "It could be two weeks or it could be two months. Mathess explained, "The snow cornice could fall today or it could hang on for months. The mountains tend to make their own weather, and we could still get significant snowfall up there."

The NTSB is investigating the accident.

FMI: faa.gov, www.ntsb.gov