Wreckage Was Discovered May 12, But Conditions Were Deemed Too Dangerous For Recovery Attempt

The bodies of two men, both in their 80s and both licensed pilots, have been recovered from the wreckage of an airplane that impacted the side of a mountain in Yellowstone National Park May 6th.

The two were identified as 84-year-old Robert Zimmerman of Huntsville, AL and his brother Ward Zimmerman, 86. They had been flying a 1963 Mooney M20C from Cody, WY to Seattle, WA by way of Twin Falls, ID.

The two had waited out a spring storm in Cody. The Associated Press reports that the wreckage was discovered about 300 feet below the summit of Howell Mountain. The wreckage had been spotted six days after the accident, but weather conditions and the potential for an avalanche kept rescue teams off the mountain until last week.

The news site AL.com reports that the two had been flying across the U.S. visiting friends and relatives along the way. Robert Zimmerman had been a former professor of physics at Alabama A&M in Huntsville. His brother Ward had been an engineer at Boeing. Relatives said they had been planning such a trip literally since they were boys.

Park County (WY) Sheriff Scott Steward told the AP that both men had been found still strapped in their seats, and it was believed both were fatally injured immediately by the impact.

(Image released by the Park County, WY Sheriff's Department)

FMI: www.ntsb.gov