Missing Pilot- you can help

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Ouachita

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They are still calling it a rescue mission, but this is day 9 and have had terrible weather the entire time. A recovery mission might better describe the operation at this time. This entire event has been odd from the start.
I understand people can access this website http://www.tomnod.com/nod/challenge/arksar2014
and from the comfort of your recliner, help scan imagery and flag. We have not had enough clear skies to get the imagery needed yet, but maybe later this week.
The guy was 34, married, new baby.......
Here is a link to Arkansas Forestry Commission facebook page where it seems they have the majority of information compiled in one location. https://www.facebook.com/ArkansasForestryCommission.
I just thought some of you might enjoy the hunt, especially on a housebound bad weather day.

The day he went missing was very windy, which equates to severe turbulence and windshear around these little mountains. I suspect in-flight break-up. There was never a mayday nor an ELT signal. Only location info they have is approx. location when he made a scheduled check-in with dispatch and they were only able to ping his cell from a single tower.
 
From ABC news
Forestry Commission Says Missing Pilot Found Dead



LITTLE ROCK, Ark. February 12, 2014 (AP)

By CHUCK BARTELS Associated Press


Associated Press



The Arkansas Forestry Commission says a pilot found dead in a rugged area of the state appears to have clipped a mountain before his plane crashed.

Pilot Jake Harrell was found dead Tuesday in the wreckage of the plane after an 11-day search. Harrell was patrolling for wildfires when he failed to make a scheduled check-in on Jan. 31.

Commission spokeswoman Adriane Barnes said the wreckage was spotted from the air by a Civil Air Patrol crew Tuesday afternoon.

Barnes said an effort was underway Tuesday night to reach the wreckage and recover Harrell's body. Investigators believe he somehow clipped a mountain near Glenwood in wooded and mountainous Montgomery County. The area has some of Arkansas' most rugged territory.

THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. Check back soon for further information. AP's earlier story is below.

An Arkansas Forestry Commission pilot who went missing with his plane last month while patrolling for wildfires was found dead Tuesday, the agency said.

Searchers had been looking for the plane and pilot Jake Harrell, 34, since he vanished but had struggled with wintery weather. Most days crews were unable to use aircraft in the search, leaving it to teams formed from about 100 ground searchers.

The commission said the plane was spotted at about 4 p.m. Tuesday by the Civil Air Patrol and the sighting was confirmed by a state police helicopter. Ground crews then went to the site and found Harrell's body, commission spokeswoman Adriane Barnes said.

Harrell, 34, was filling in for a sick co-worker on Jan. 31 when he failed to make a scheduled check-in and had not been heard from again. He was supposed to have been in the air for two hours.

Barnes said a representative of the family was with commission officials, who ran a command center at Mena.

"The family knew before anyone else," Barnes said.

The plane was found near Glenwood in wooded and mountainous Montgomery County, where some of the most rugged territory in Arkansas can be found.

Numerous agencies took part in the search. The territory is so dangerous that officials would not allow volunteers to help look for Harrell. Their work was made more difficult by a December ice storm that pulled down trees and branches that cluttered the forest floor.

Even when aircraft were able to search, the effort was hampered by areas with thick pine trees and snow.

Pastor Rob Loy of the First Assembly of God in North Little Rock, who has acted as a spokesman for Harrell's family, said his wife, Jamie, understood the odds were bad for her husband being found safe had held out hope that her husband was alive.

Forestry officials were uncertain of Harrell's route so the search area included up to 2 million acres, equal to more than 3,000 square miles. Rescuers received calls from as far away as eastern Oklahoma and northeast Texas.

Harrell's last known position was near Oden, about 20 miles from where his plane was found.

Barnes said the Federal Aviation Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board were contacted.

She said she couldn't offer many details because the crash is under investigation.
 
Pretty much expected, but still a shame. Why would someone be out looking for wildfires this time of year? And with that satellite service you put up on the first post, it could all be done sitting at the office.
 
They only fly when we are under red flag conditions. The satellite only captures a moment in time as it/they pass overhead, and then only focus on specific areas when hired to do so. It's not live coverage.
We had very dry windy conditions during January, with dozens of wildfires across the state. The precipitation we did have was frozen, and was followed by very low humidity conditions so that it evaporated as fast as it melted. The fire danger was worse than most summertime conditions when our humidity is much higher
 

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