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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 airpl...