Jackson Hole Transport Flight Accident Fatality 1988

A Beech 200 King Air crashed in a near-vertical dive after take-off from Jackson Hole Airport shortly before 2200 on September 11, 1988. The flight originated at Redding Airport in California, transporting two fire personnel to Jackson. After delivering the two passengers, the pilot took off on the return flight to Redding. Two witnesses on the ground observed the unusual behavior of the plane, rapidly gaining and losing altitude immediately after takeoff, before the aircraft disappeared. The wreckage was found at 0630 the following morning. Pilot Donald Kuykendall was killed instantly in the crash.