Bad place to land a plane

“There is a plane crash on Mt Shasta. It went down Saturday night. They haven't been able to get teams to it yet due to the high avalanche danger. It's located at about 11.400' on the East side. No signs of life.”

“Ouch. Keep us updated on any rescue operations you hear about....”

“Wow... maybe I've just been too busy to pay attention to the news, but we haven't heard about this just down the road here in Sac?”

“THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

MOUNT SHASTA, Calif. -- A 69-year-old Washington man was presumed dead after the small plane he was piloting crashed on the east side of Mount Shasta, the Siskiyou County Sheriff's Department said Monday.

Robert F. Ayres, of Ferndale, Wash., was flying home from a visit with his family in Southern California on Saturday when his plane crashed, the sheriff's department said in a news release. Authorities did not know if anyone else was on board at the time.

Ayres left Gillespie Airport near Santee at about 9:30 a.m. Saturday, but did not file a flight plan because the airport was not open. Based on previous trips Ayres made, authorities believe he refueled his Piper Cherokee in Red Bluff before beginning the last leg of his trip to the airport in Bellingham, Wash., where he kept his plane.

The Civil Air Patrol was notified Saturday evening that a satellite signal had been picked up in the area by the Air Force Rescue Coordination Center in Langley, Va., the sheriff's department said.

Crews have been unable to get to the crash scene because of strong winds and extremely high avalanche danger. But the sheriff's department said that based on photos from the scene there appeared to be no survivors.”

“Let's hope for the best. What great news that they found the 11 Year Old Boy Scout in Utah today after his having been lost since Friday, no food, shelter, etc!

Let's all Think Positive & hope for the best - "miracles" do happen!”

“Miracles indeed do happen.

It's not looking so good for the pilot of the plane though, here is the latest from our local news.............

By Christina Lucarotti, Record Searchlight
June 21, 2005

MT. SHASTA -- Extreme avalanche danger on Mt. Shasta will delay rescue crews from recovering a downed plane, with a body presumably inside it, that was discovered Monday morning at 11,400 feet, the Siskiyou County Sheriff's Department said.

It will be at least a week, if not two, before conditions are expected to be safe enough for crews to approach the crash site, said Grizz Adams, who handles emergency services for the Sheriff's Department.

Officials believe the pilot, Robert F. Ayres, 69, of Ferndale, Wash., did not survive the crash, Adams said.

No one else is believed to have been on board the Piper P-28 Cherokee.

Family members told the Sheriff's Department that Ayres left the Gillespie Airport near Santee about 9:30 a.m. Saturday after spending the week in Southern California visiting his children.

The Gillespie Airport was not open that morning, so Ayres did not file a flight plan, the Sheriff's Department said.

Officials believe he refueled in Red Bluff, which is where he usually stopped on trips from Santee to an airport in Bellingham, Wash., where he kept his plane, the Sheriff's Department said.

Ayres had flown this route many times, and it is unclear what caused the plane to crash between 5 and 5:30 p.m. Saturday, Adams said.

His family members became concerned Monday after Ayres did not return their calls, the Sheriff's Department said.

The search for his plane, however, began Saturday evening after the Civil Air Patrol informed the Sheriff's Department of a satellite signal coming from an emergency locator transmitter in the area of Mt. Eddy.

While no aircraft had been reported overdue, search efforts continued Sunday and narrowed the location of the signal to Mt. Shasta, Adams said.

A heavy cloud cover surrounding the volcano Sunday prevented the California Highway Patrol helicopter and Civil Air Patrol from searching the area.

During a flight Monday, the crashed plane was discovered about 7:30 a.m. on the southeast side of the mountain above the tree line, Adams said.

The damaged plane appeared to be intact, but heat-seeking equipment on the CHP helicopter did not detect any signs of life nor were any footprints seen outside the plane, Adams said.

Adams described the area as isolated and steep, with slopes at more than 40-degree angles.

A California National Guard Blackhawk helicopter crew determined Monday that winds of more than 35 mph combined with a high avalanche risk made it unsafe to lower anyone to the crash site, the Sheriff's Department said.

The Sheriff's Department, Federal Aviation Administration and National Transportation Safety Board will investigate the crash.”

“That's not good news. Thanks for the update, I'll still hope for the best, of course.

So, let's hit the trail, and over our campfire we can discuss how life is for living & we should make the most of every day! Funny how the older I get, the more meaning that has!”

“I will be discussing such things this weekend with a partner of mine. Hopefully, we can do the same, perhaps with a few other TT'rs, in the coming months.

I've had more near death experiences than most and it wasn't till my last, that I began to ask "the questions".

None of us knows how long we will be here, or how long our friends and loved ones will.

We shouldn't take life for granted and all to often we do.

Remember....Time spent in the mountains is not deducted from the rest of your life.”

“Unless of course you do something really dumb..............”

“lol I havent begun asking questions yet but I do try to enjoy every moment of my life :D”

“Why?”