Air France pilot dies after falling 305m off California’s Mount Whitney while hiking
- Tom Gerbier was hiking the tallest mountain in the contiguous US when he fell to his death
- The company said he had been on a stopover in Los Angeles
A pilot from France who disappeared while hiking California’s towering Mount Whitney was found dead after falling about 305m (1,000 feet) off a cliff, the National Park Service said on Friday.
The hiker was identified as Tom Gerbier of Fontenay-sous-Bois, France, who was a pilot for Air France, the park service said in a statement. He was 38, according to a missing poster issued by the Inyo county sheriff’s office, which was part of the search.
The tallest mountain in the contiguous United States, Mount Whitney rises 4,418m (14,494 feet) on the eastern border of Sequoia National Park and is a difficult but popular hike.
Gerbier started out at Whitney Portal near the town of Lone Pine early on Tuesday and was reported missing when he did not show up for his return flight on Wednesday, the park service said.
The park service and local authorities sent ground teams to the area on Thursday.
The searchers spotted clues that someone may have fallen off a cliff in an area called “The Notch,” and a helicopter crew directed there spotted a motionless person in clothing matching Gerbier’s description.
