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The Moth and the Flame

Mountain peaks are magnets for pilots but they harbor dangerous winds.

Oregon's Mount Hood is a volcanic cone 30 miles east of Troutdale. Credit: Adobe Stock
Gemini Sparkle

Key Takeaways:

  • An Oregon pilot went missing and subsequently crashed his plane on Mount Hood, with wreckage found near the summit.
  • Toxicological analysis revealed multiple impairing drugs in the pilot's system, which the NTSB concluded significantly degraded his decision-making and performance.
  • The NTSB determined the primary cause was the pilot's decision to fly too close to hazardous mountainous terrain, misjudging his trajectory and the aircraft's capabilities in the challenging conditions.
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In January 2019, an Oregon pilot, 63, failed to return home when his wife expected him. He was, however, in the habit of disappearing in his airplane for a couple of days to “decompress,” and in any case, he had been talking about flying down to Arizona to visit some friends, so his absence did not alarm her. She sent him several text messages, but he did not respond.

After a couple of days without word, his wife became concerned. She called the friends in Arizona and learned her husband was not there. She went to the Troutdale Airport in Oregon, where his Rockwell Commander 112 was based, and found her husband’s truck—but not the airplane. His briefcase was in the truck, so she guessed that if he had gone flying, he had intended to return.

Peter Garrison

Peter Garrison taught himself to use a slide rule and tin snips, built an airplane in his backyard, and flew it to Japan. He began contributing to FLYING in 1968, and he continues to share his columns, ""Technicalities"" and ""Aftermath,"" with FLYING readers.

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