WINDHAM, N.Y. (NEWS10) -An open 911 call from Seuk Kim's iPhone led multiple agencies to search Windham High Peak for his plane. State and County vehicles parked on Peck Road; some haven't left 24 hours since the search began.
"It's a very remote area. Like I said, it's between two and three miles off the end of Peck Road and Maplecrest and there's still a lot of snow and wind," said Sheriff Peter Kusminsky.
The Greene County Sheriff told NEWS10's Anthony Krolikowski that Albany Airport had lost track of Kim's plane after he was allowed a lower flight pattern due to turbulence. The 49-year-old was flying with three dogs when it crashed after striking trees on the mountain.
"One dog we found alive with two broken legs," stated Sheriff Kusminsky. "The pilot unfortunately is deceased." The first dog found, a lab-mix puppy, survived and was taken to Capital District Veterinary Hospital. The second was later found with minor injuries and the third had passed in the crash. Officials have removed Kim from the woods and brought him to Ellis Hospital for an autopsy.
"The trails are closed off at the moment. There's still almost a foot of snow on them so they're not easily navigated at this time of the year anyways," added Sheriff Kusminsky.
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) will be documenting the crash and moving the wreckage to another location to examine it. Anyone who witnessed the crash or has video is asked to contact the NTSB at witness@ntsb.gov.
