Maine Warden Pilot LODD

[Nilsog]

Spreading the word.

CLEAR LAKE, Maine — A warden pilot with the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife died Thursday night when his plane crashed on Clear Lake in a remote section of Piscataquis County, department officials said Friday.

Daryl Gordon, 60, of Eagle Lake was a 25-year veteran of the Maine Warden Service.

He and his plane were found after an intensive overnight search that included his colleagues from the warden service, the Maine Forest Service, Maine State Police, the Houlton Air Branch of Customs and Border Protection, U.S. Border Patrol and Civil Air Patrol, according to DIF&W spokeswoman Deborah Turcotte.

More at Bangor Daily News

[RADIOMAN015]

Spreading the word.

CLEAR LAKE, Maine — A warden pilot with the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife died Thursday night when his plane crashed on Clear Lake in a remote section of Piscataquis County, department officials said Friday.

Daryl Gordon, 60, of Eagle Lake was a 25-year veteran of the Maine Warden Service.

He and his plane were found after an intensive overnight search that included his colleagues from the warden service, the Maine Forest Service, Maine State Police, the Houlton Air Branch of Customs and Border Protection, U.S. Border Patrol and Civil Air Patrol, according to DIF&W spokeswoman Deborah Turcotte.

More at Bangor Daily News

It is very sad that this accident occurred.  HOWEVER, I've got wonder that IF he was on patrol, why they didn't have at least a 1/2 hour check in OR at least he would have to radio them when he was landing.

It is VERY good that CAP was instrumental in finding the crash aircraft, and a salute to those who worked so hard on this mission :clap:

Interestingly a few years back at the "Eastern State Exposition" I was talking to another Maine state employee that was involved in forest administration & research & he basically would drive his pickup truck 40 to 50 miles on dirt roads and than notify dispatch he was getting out of the truck to do his daily duties.  He could be out all day long deep in the woods, alone, and did not have a portable radio or PLB with him.  At the end of the day he would get back in the truck and call dispatch.  He even said to me, there always was the possibility that dispatch just might not see that he had not checked in at the end of the day and he could be injured and unable to get back to his vehicle for assistance.       

Does anyone know if that aircraft had the new 406 beacon in it?  How bad was the crash?  This looks like sometime of interest to follow in that state.
RM 

[AbnMedOps]

Very sad news.

Radioman, that is a very good point about getting hurt in those remote areas. There are also very serious man made hazards: A friend was hunting in remote northern Maine, when he felt "the call of nature", and parked at the side of a logging road. He took a couple steps off the road into the treeline, and  found himself in a vast plantation of huge marijuana plants! He took care of his business quickly, exited, and didn't stop driving fast for more than an hour! And no, he did NOT report it to law enforcement, in fact he didn't breath a word for several years. What he saw was so large-scale that he could only assume that it enjoyed official protection and it would not be healthy to know too much.

[Nilsog]

RM- From what I understand, he had already landed his normal duty plane due to technical problems and was using the backup plane which did have a GPS beacon that their dispatch could track but no radio. His crash site was approximately 12 miles from the last recorded position on GPS.