Linn County Sheriff Michelle Duncan reported Thursday, Oct. 20, that the Sheriff’s Office assisted in the recovery of a 1996 Piper Cherokee aircraft that crashed Thursday, Sept. 22, near Mount Jefferson, killing its pilot, 67-year-old Wayne Wirt of Chehalis, Wash.
The USDA Forest Service – Willamette National Forest and National Transportation Safety Board also worked with Wirt’s family on its recovery.
The Linn County Sheriff’s Office dispatch center received information about the incident on Sept. 22, when hikers on the Pacific Crest Trail reported hearing what sounded like an airplane engine followed by a loud crash. They said they could smell fuel but saw nothing.
The United States Air Force Rescue Coordination Center then contacted LCSO dispatch about an airplane radar that disappeared over the Mount Jefferson Wilderness Area. The AFRCC called back later and confirmed that radar showed a small plane had gone down and provided a general area.
Linn County Sheriff’s Search and Rescue and Life Flight were activated. The latter surveyed the area but could not identify a crash site due to weather conditions. Additional air resources (United States Coast Guard) were also unsuccessful.
As crews searched, the AFRCC received a report of a missing/overdue 1996 Piper Cherokee single-engine plane from Llano, Calif. At around 9 a.m. the following day, a United States Coast Guard helicopter flying search patterns found the crash site east of Marion Lake between Mount Jefferson and Three Fingered Jack. Linn County Search and Rescue teams hiked into the area and set up camp near the location. Rescuers confirmed that the pilot, Wayne Wirt, was dead.
The Wirt family was tasked with raising money to recover the plane. David “Heavy D” Sparks and David “Diesel Dave” Kiley, of the Discovery Channel’s “Diesel Brothers” series and the HeavyDSparks YouTube channel, heard the call for help and began working with the family.
With the family’s support, the LCSO assisted the USDA Forest Service – Willamette National Forest and Sparks with the task. Two private helicopters from Northwind Helicopters transported multiple personnel to the mountain to remove the wreckage, which was taken to Washington, where the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) is conducting an inspection.
The LCSO thanked the Wirt family, Sparks, Kiley, Northwind Helicopters, members of the USDA Forest Service-Willamette National Forest and the National Transportation Safety Board.
The HeavyDSparks YouTube channel on Sunday, Oct. 30, released a documentary video covering the process and celebrating Wayne Wirt’s life. Watch “Rest in Peace, Fellow Aviator. We’ll Have You Home Tonight” at https://bit.ly/3gY64dG.
The NTSB is also investigating a fatal Aug. 21 single-engine airplane crash east of Scio on Richardson Gap Road.
Fire and medical personnel from the Scio Rural Fire Department, along with area neighbors who witnessed the incident, were among the first on scene. LCSO deputies arrived moments later and learned that the pilot, 78-year-old Dennis Jackson of Independence, was dead. His wife, 78-year-old Amy Jackson, who was also aboard the 2004 RV-8, was transported from the scene by Life Flight Air Ambulance to Salem Health with life-threatening injuries. She died later that day.