NTSB releases report on Bird plane crash

SANDPOINT — In its initial report released this past week, the National Transportation Safety Board did not indicate why a plane carrying Dr. Pam Bird, and Donald and Bessie 'Tookie' Hensley crahed shortly after takeoff Oct. 8 near Hope.

The NTSB report detailed the plane’s flight path and described the wreckage of the crash on the flank of Round Top Mountain. 

Bird was piloting a Cessna 182P, leaving from the Bird Museum airstrip around 8 a.m. Shortly after, the plane hit large pine trees near a mountain ridge line, and was destroyed by a post-crash fire. There was no flight plan filed, however, the plane was destined for Minot, N.D., according to the report.

The Bonner County Sheriff's Office received reports of a single emergency locator transmitter ping from an area northeast of Hope. A helicopter pilot located the wreckage about six hours later, just below a ridgeline saddle in the mountains above Hope, at an elevation of 5,226 feet. The plane collided with terrain about 156 feet from where it struck the treetops. All three occupants were located in the wreckage.

It was reported in The Daily Bee on Oct. 23 that the Hensleys' remains were positively identified. The remains of Bird had not been positively identified.  

Family reports the intended route of the flight was to depart Sagle, proceed to Minot, N.D., then to Maine and along the East Coast of the U.S., with a final destination of Gainesville, Fla. The flight was scheduled to depart on Oct. 7, but was delayed due to poor weather conditions. Just before the airplane departed, the pilot-rated passenger told the ranch foreman they were heading to Minot, N.D. but because of the weather, they were probably going to try to go south. The ranch foreman also said he had fueled the airplane to maximum capacity.

The nearest weather reporting station was in Sandpoint at the airport, about 15 miles west of the accident location. On Oct. 8, at 8:35 a.m., wind was reported as calm, there was a layer of overcast about 2,800 feet above ground level, 10 miles of visibility and the temperature was 12 degrees Celsius.

Bird was the widow of Dr. Forrest Morton Bird, an aviator, inventor and biomedical engineer. He was credited with revolutionizing mass-produced mechanical ventilators. He died Aug. 2, at the age of 94. Pam Bird was also an aviator, inventor and author.

Tookie, 80, and Don, 84, were residents of Mohave Valley, Ariz.

This information came from the preliminary report issued by NTSB. The report states the NTSB investigators conducted a significant amount of investigative work and used data obtained from various sources to prepare the report.