A missing French pilot was found dead last week after authorities said he fell 1,000 feet while hiking Mount Whitney in California’s Sequoia and Kings National Park.
Tom Gerbier, a French national from Fontenay-sous-Bois, France, and a pilot for Air France, had gone hiking early Tuesday morning from Whitney Portal, the gateway to Mt. Whitney, via the mountaineering route before her flight home the next day, the National Park Service said Friday.
“Gerbier was described as an experienced mountain climber and ultra runner, with the necessary equipment and ability to complete the planned route,” the Inyo County Sheriff’s Office said.
When Gerbier failed to show up for the flight Wednesday, he was reported missing.
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Mount Whitney is the highest mountain in the contiguous United States, with an elevation of 14,505 feet. (Gary Coronado/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images, file)
The sheriff’s office immediately began rescue operations by flying over Mount Whitney, but found no sign of the missing hiker.
Ground crews were deployed early Thursday morning and found evidence suggesting a hiker may have fallen off a cliff in the area known as “The Notch,” according to rescuers.
The sheriff’s office described the area as where “the climbers’ route meets the steep and exposed north face of Mount Whitney,” adding that the terrain is “precarious.”
An NPS helicopter recovered Gerbier’s body in an area known as “The Notch.” (National Park Service)
An NPS helicopter then flew over the area and spotted a “motionless” hiker wearing clothing matching Gerbier’s description, the agency said.
It appears Gerbier fell approximately 1,000 feet, the NPS said. His body was recovered by helicopter and transferred to the Tulare County Sheriff’s Office, where his identity was confirmed.
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Air France told the San Francisco Chronicle in a statement that it “regrets to confirm the accidental death of one of its pilots, which occurred on October 20, 2023 while on a stopover in Los Angeles (California). Sincere condolences to his family and loved ones.”
The Mountaineers’ Route on Mount Whitney is a technical climb that requires high mountaineering skills and equipment, the sheriff’s office said. (Santi Visalli/Getty Images, file)
Mount Whitney is the tallest mountain in the contiguous United States, rising to 14,505 feet.
The sheriff’s office offered its condolences to Gerbier’s loved ones and cautioned that the climbers’ route on Mount Whitney is a technical climb that requires high mountaineering skills and equipment.
“This is not an increase and has resulted in several deaths in recent years,” the sheriff’s office said. “Remember, no matter how skilled and prepared you are, accidents can happen to anyone.”
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Gerbier is the second death reported in Sequoia and Kings Canyon national parks this year, officials said.