BURLEY, Idaho (AP) — Investigators say strong winds are to blame for causing an Oregon pilot to lose control and crash into the Cottrell Mountains in southcentral Idaho.
Commercial pilot Thaddeus Bryce Fickel, of Hermiston, Ore., crashed Dec. 23 while flying over and photographing sugar beet piles near Albion. The 44-year-old pilot escaped without injuries.
National Transportation Safety Board Investigator Josh Cawthra says the agency is waiting for the single-engine Cessna to be fully recovered before advancing the investigation.
But he tells the Times-News winds in the area at the time of the crash were gusting between 23 and 34 mph. He says when the pilot began crossing the ridgeline the plane banked to the left and right and ultimately unable to recover.
