GRANGEVILLE, Idaho—Officials in Idaho County say a gust of wind hit an airplane just as it was taking off from an airstrip in the Nez Perce/Clearwater National Forest, forcing the plane to crash and killing the pilot.
A second man on board was treated for minor injuries.
Sheriff Doug Giddings says the men had been fishing in the Moose Creek area east of Grangeville and were trying to leave the area ahead of an expected thunderstorm Thursday afternoon. They took off from an airstrip near the Moose Creek Ranger Station and a gust of wind caused the plane to flip over, crash and catch fire.
Giddings says 48-year-old Jahan Ashtiani of Coeur d’Alene died in the crash. The passenger, Anthony DiPaolo of Evergreen, Colo., was flown to the hospital in Grangeville.
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Information from: Lewiston Tribune,
