What happened to the pilot from Salmon who went missing in 1976? Here’s his story.

SALMON — A section aviator and his craft went missing successful 1976 aft taking disconnected from Salmon connected what was expected to beryllium “a ray level flight.”

The story connected nan missing pilot was featured successful our play Looking Back column, which looks backmost connected what life was for illustration during circumstantial clip periods successful eastbound Idaho history.

Pilot, airplane spell missing

Lewis C. Meeks, head of 2 ranches successful nan Idaho Primitive Area, was reported missing connected Aug. 26, 1976. The 38-year-old man was past heard from earlier he took disconnected Wednesday evening (Aug. 25, 1976) successful a Cessna 260 to Root Ranch.

“He had returned from 1 (ranch) — nan Flying B — and was flying backmost to nan different — Root Ranch — betwixt 75 and 100 miles northwest of Salmon erstwhile he went down,” nan Idaho State Journal explained.

Carol Jarvis, nan power coordinator for nan search, said Meeks had capable nutrient aboard his single-engine plane to past for 2 weeks if he was live and not earnestly injured.

But, connected Aug. 30, 1976, 2 loggers who stumbled upon nan segment recovered Meeks and his plane.

Pilot recovered successful wreckage

Richard Malcolm and his coworker Bob Horn discovered nan collapsed airplane connected Napoleon Ridge, 15 miles northbound of Salmon. They had been moving successful nan area for a week and had near conscionable minutes earlier Meeks took off, astir 8 p.m. Wednesday.

Malcom said they were moving their measurement down nan hill, cutting trees and building roadworthy arsenic they went, and saw “something shiny” Monday astir 400 yards from nan road.

“The tail was each surgery off, and nan wings were lying connected nan ground,” Malcom said successful an Associated Press article shared by nan Idaho State Journal. “We had rather a clip getting him out.”

Up to 15 planes hunted complete nan immense area of Central Idaho, including Chamberlain Basin, earlier “the collapsed trade yet was recovered by chance,” conscionable southbound of North Fork.

Malcom said it appeared Meeks died connected effect and that his propeller “sheared off” a character arsenic he went down.

Jarvis added that it looked for illustration Meeks tried to return to Salmon erstwhile a rainfall and upwind large wind arose aft he took off. He said nan level was recovered connected nan Salmon broadside of nan ridge and that nan level was “all successful 1 heap … conscionable for illustration you’d squash a tin can.” The level did not burn.

“It looks for illustration he sewage a convulsive downdraft,” Jarvis said, adding that nan level collapsed down onto gangly trees adjacent nan apical of nan ridge alternatively than flying laterally into nan height.

Federal Aviation Administration officials were probing nan crash.

According to Meeks’ obituary, he near down his woman Lana Fackler DeBord who he joined successful May 1973. They lived successful Mountain View, California, until March 1976, erstwhile they moved to Salmon. Meeks was buried successful nan Salmon Cemetery.