Stanley icon dies in plane crash
Danner goes down on west slope of Cape Horn Mountain
By GREG STAHL
Express Staff Writer
Stanley pilot Bob Danner, left, passed away Monday, Sept. 13, in a backcountry plan crash west of Stanley on the west slope of Cape Horn Mountain. Danner flew for the Nez Perce Tribe, which monitors Idaho?s reintroduced gray wolves. He also flew tours of Central Idaho?s mountains and shuttled people and gear into and out of the state?s numerous backcountry airstrips. He is pictured in 2000 with Nez Perce Tribe Wold Recovery Leader Curt Mack. Photo by Willy Cook
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With the weather clearing for the first time in days, recovery workers labored Thursday to recover the body of a well-known and highly experienced pilot who crashed Monday, Sept. 13, near the headwaters of the Middle Fork of the Salmon River, west of Stanley.
Robert P. Danner, 63, was a life-long resident of Stanley and the owner of Stanley Air Taxi. The Cessna 206 he was flying went down in a sudden early-season storm and crashed at about 8,700 feet on the west slope of 9,526-footCape Horn Mountain. The mountain is framed by Marsh Creek to the east, Bruce Meadows to the west and Highway 21 to the south.
Recovery crews were forced to turn around by inclement weather Wednesday at about 7,700 feet. They returned Thursday to make another attempt at reaching the crash site, said Pat Holmes, who worked with Danner and his wife, Dia, at Stanley Air Taxi.
The Valley County Sheriff?s Office was alerted to the plane crash at 9:04 p.m. on Monday, Sept. 13. Karl Urquhart, who was flying behind Danner in a different plane on Monday, said he notified authorities shortly after he landed at the Sulphur Creek Ranch along the Middle Fork that Danner might be in trouble.
?We were coming out of the Middle Fork. It was late in the evening. The squalls were shutting down, and the ceilings were coming down,? Urquhart said. ?Basically we were running up against a late hour, reduced ceilings and precipitation. We came up against what every pilot has to do every day of his life, and that?s make decisions.?
Urquhart and Danner flew to the Pistol Creek Airstrip that afternoon, shuttling people and supplies into the Frank Church-River of No Return Wilderness Area. During the trip in, they had good visibility and good conditions.
?But as we all know here in the mountains, the weather can change in a matter of moments,? Urquhart said. ?Based on his environment, Bob made a decision he thought was right at the time, and it didn?t work out.?
Urquhart said Danner, who was flying in the lead, relayed some information via radio that prompted the second pilot to turn around and land at the Sulphur Creek Ranch. He said he quickly got word out when he landed that something might have gone wrong. Urquhart did not wish to elaborate about details.
?My concern was high, as high as it can get without having facts to back things up,? he said.
The Valley County Sheriff?s Office received notification at 9:04 p.m. that an emergency locator transmitter was emitting a signal in the vicinity of Bruce Meadows.
Authorities located the plane by helicopter at about 7 p.m. on Tuesday, Sept. 7, and determined that Danner had not survived the crash.
According to the sheriff?s office, poor weather, changing cloud ceilings and snowfall made the search effort extremely challenging. A ground crew of U.S. Forest Service, Idaho Department of Fish and Game, Valley County Sheriff?s Office and Valley County Search and Rescue personnel searched Monday night and throughout the day Tuesday before the plane was found using a helicopter.
The emergency locator transmitter was difficult to locate because of the mountainous terrain and the signal?s bounce from ridge to ridge, the sheriff?s office pointed out in a press release.
The crash site was approximately 30 miles south of the Pistol Creek Airstrip.
Danner was renowned by his peers as an excellent and seasoned backcountry pilot. He was equally well known as amiable, giving man with an easy smile.
?I thought he was a great guy, at the pinnacle of his own industry,? said Stanley Mayor Paul Frantellizzi. ?It?s a huge loss to Stanley. He was just a pillar in this community.?
Urquhart worked for Danner since mid-May.
?Bob was very generous with his knowledge and very protective of those who worked for him,? he said. ?He was very well respected in the backcountry aviation community. His love for flying and his love for the backcountry is probably unsurpassed.?
Galen Hanselman, a Hailey writer and pilot who has published books on backcountry flying, said Danner was a good friend and one of the best backcountry pilots.
?He was one of the very best pilots. I consider him the best pilot flying the backcountry. He has a long history of making good decisions. I would have gone with him anywhere,? Hanselman said. ?He knew that country just like the back of his hand.
?As far as a person, he was just one of the nicest fellas you?d ever want to meet.?
Memorial service scheduled
A memorial service is scheduled Saturday for backcountry pilot and life-long Stanley resident Robert P. Danner, who died Monday, Sept. 13, in a plane crash during a backcountry flight near Stanley.
The service is scheduled for Saturday, Sept. 18, at 2 p.m. at Stanley Air Taxi at the Stanley Airport.
