A missing Air France pilot has been found dead after disappearing while hiking California’s highest mountain, according to authorities.
Tom Gerbier of Fontenay-sous-Bois, France, was reported missing Wednesday after he “failed to show up for his return flight,” the National Park Service said in a news release Friday.
The 38-year-old had attempted to hike Mount Whitney in California’s Sequoia National Park the day before, according to the park service and Inyo County Search and Rescue.
Park officials said Gerbier apparently fell “about 300 feet” off a cliff in an area known as “The Notch.”
University of Georgia student dies in 90-foot fall while rock climbing in northeast Alabama
Ground teams began climbing the mountain on the hiking route when they noticed tracks that suggested a hiker may have fallen in the area.
A park service helicopter eventually found the “motionless hiker.” His body was recovered from the scene and later identified by the Tulare County Sheriff’s Office.
Air France did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s request for comment.
Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE’s free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.
This is the second fatality in Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks this year, according to the park service.
Mount Whitney is considered “the most frequently climbed mountain peak in the Sierra Nevada,” according to the park’s website.
1 dead, 2 injured after vehicle plunges off cliff in California, police say
Day hikers typically choose the Mount Whitney Trail, a “non-technical but strenuous” 22-mile round trip that can take between 12 and 14 hours.
The route is said to be a challenge “even for very fit hikers”, and is usually snow-free from July to the end of September. When there is snow or ice, hikers must have the appropriate “winter hiking skills and equipment” needed to hike safely.
Categories: Trends
Source: HIS Education