Local News

Pilot, 84, rescued from tree after glider crashes in White Mountains

The glider pilot was stuck in the cockpit, hanging from a tree about 20 feet off the ground after the crash.

June 3, 2024

1 minute to read

An 84-year-old Vermont man was rescued Sunday after the glider he was piloting crashed in the White Mountains.

Authorities responded to the crash in the White Mountain National Forest in Benton around 4:50 p.m., according to New Hampshire Fish and Game. The pilot, a 84-year-old from Tunbridge, Vermont, was not injured in the crash but was still inside the cockpit, hanging from a tree about 20 feet off the ground when he was able to text 9-1-1 for help.

According to the fish and game department, the pilot took off from Post Mills, Vermont, around 2 p.m. and made it to Cannon Mountain in Franconia, New Hampshire.

“On his return trip, (the pilot) had trouble getting lift and tried to circle the ridge near the Hogsback,” officials said. “During his last attempt at getting lift he hit a downdraft and crashed near the saddle of the Hogsback around 4:20 p.m.”

The department’s conservation officers, U.S. Forest Service Law Enforcement, as well as first responders from the Haverhill, Hanover, and Lebanon fire departments responded to assist with the rescue. The first responders reached him around 6:55 p.m., and the fire department personnel set up a pulley and harness system to lower him from a tree.

The pilot and his rescuers were able to return to a U.S. Forest Service road by 9:50 p.m.

New Hampshire Fish and Game said the FAA has been given the pilot’s information for any additional investigation into the incident.