My brother was killed yesterday.

[wolfelot]

So sorry man. Damn.

[Kenny Satch]

Sad news like this makes me pause and realize all the material things in world mean nothing...life is so precious
Vibes to you and your family
I pray you find the strength to cope with your loss

[Island Bay]

Kia kaha, brother. Kia manawanui.

[snapt]

Be well Stuck, grieve for your Bro, then as time goes on live life as full as possible for him. Best to your family.

[stuckathuntermtn]

We're all drunk and watching his favorite stand-up comedy and IT Crowd episodes. Even people who I made hate me are texting me heartfelt condolences.
I'm the only 1 who seems the least bit curious about meeting the other families. Even of the guy who (probably) hit him. We're all part of the same tragedy. Maybe I'm a 'good person.'
Ok. I can't see straight.
Goodnight.

[stuckathuntermtn]

I need to open his studio (home office). His wife says not yet, so I have to respect that, but I just need to go into that little room and sit in the middle of the floor and just feel his presence.
Fuck. That bird. I need to reevaluate everything.

[nutmegchoi]

Pictures of your brother make my heart aches.
I wish he had many more years with you guys.
Sometimes things are just not fair.
I'm so sorry.

[Gepeto]

That bird. I need to reevaluate everything.

And you will. Try to avoid getting angry (alcohol will push you in that direction). It (anger)will slow down your ability to come to grips with and have an understanding of such a life-altering event.

Your spirit will find new breadth.

You have shown a lot of strength with what you have been willing to share with us. I am appreciating your candor and openness. Your brother lived a very full life. Continue to be enriched by him.

[gravitylover]

You have shown a lot of strength with what you have been willing to share with us. I am appreciating your candor and openness. Your brother lived a very full life. Continue to be enriched by him.

This is important.

[SB]

Well put Gman

Your brothers spirit will always be with you.

[stuckathuntermtn]

I feel like I'm doing ok at not being angry or thinking of this as unfair.
Even if the other pilot straight up hit him, he's dead too, and his family is going through the same thing.
I'd like to someday meet the 4 other families involved who lost their loved ones. We have this shared tragedy even though we have never met, or know anyone who knows them, or even heard of them. We're bound together for the rest of our lives.

[TBS]

Someone mentioned "making friends with your grief" awhile back and this approach helped me. Good luck.

And me. After my daughter died a counselor suggested I take some time out each day (like 15 minutes) to really get in touch with the grief - just let it consume you and think about all the reasons you are so sad (or mad, or afraid)

But that's for later. Right now it's just fine to let it consume you 24/7 - it shows how much you cared for him.

[stuckathuntermtn]

Wow, a daughter? That's rough, I'm sorry. I can't really imagine what it's like losing a kid, or maybe I can since it just happened to my parents.
Idk
Thanks to you others sharing your experiences of loss with me.

[Yonder_River]

Damn TBS. Sorry.

[Ottime]

Man that sucks. Sending my best vibes and prayer for healing.

[stuckathuntermtn]

I feel like you should let some time + investigation pass before personally connecting with the other pilots family. That meeting could have many different agendas for all parties involve, litigious as well as emotional.
if you ever need a random bird thrown around, we got a place for that Stucky;-\

That's a good point, I guess.
The investigation could take a year, though. These aren't jetliners with data/voice recorders and air traffic control recordings, etc etc. I seriously doubt there's a control tower in Russian Mission, AK. Considering how busy some places are (like Talkeetna) without a tower, it's amazing this happens so rarely.

Also, neither of these planes were owned by the pilots or their families so idk how concerned I should be about litigation.

My dad started spewing some shit along those lines the other night in his anger and his grief, and I made him promise me not to hire a lawyer. We don't know anything about what happened. All the money in the world won't bring him back. Lawyers will just make this harder.

[BFD]

I am sorry for your loss. Looks like your brother had allot of skills and was living life. There was a midair last year in Wasilla. So sadly these accidents happen more than we would think. Here is a link to the NTSB report if you are interested. Shows what goes into the investigation .http://www.ntsb.gov/_layouts/ntsb.av...5FA009B&akey=2
condolences to you and your family.

[Kied]

Damn, Stuck. I can't even imagine. Major vibes, hang tough.

[Alaskan Rover]

Words, in the face of such a loss, seem trivial and too flimsy. All I can really do is send vibes. Sixteen years ago, I lost one of my four very best friends in a Car and Driver test drive of a special projects Mercedes on a track in Texas. He was Senior Technical Editor for the magazine. I got the dreaded call on beautifully clear and bright Saturday morning and my world turned dark. It IS like a part of your heart getting ripped right out of your chest... you are right about that. People always say "he died doing what he loved". I don't really know...maybe that'all bullshit, but I think maybe, in the case of my friend and your brother, that may be right. And I guess we can take a little solace in that. Vibes, man.

[stuckathuntermtn]

I am sorry for your loss. Looks like your brother had allot of skills and was living life. There was a midair last year in Wasilla. So sadly these accidents happen more than we would think. Here is a link to the NTSB report if you are interested. Shows what goes into the investigation .http://www.ntsb.gov/_layouts/ntsb.av...5FA009B&akey=2
condolences to you and your family.

Interesting read. It was just an observation, no conclusions of fault. Those guys also survived.
I noticed the 2 of them put together had barely a fraction of the experience that my brother had. I don't know the number, but 1,000hrs is about what a full-time pilot gets a year.
He wasn't always full-time, especially living in Montana the past 8 or 9 years, but he probably had over 10,000. 11 or 12k, even.

[DeathVan]

My sincere sympathies for everyone involved.

Honor them by living a full life.

[Gepeto]

Interesting read. It was just an observation, no conclusions of fault. Those guys also survived.
I noticed the 2 of them put together had barely a fraction of the experience that my brother had. I don't know the number, but 1,000hrs is about what a full-time pilot gets a year.
He wasn't always full-time, especially living in Montana the past 8 or 9 years, but he probably had over 10,000. 11 or 12k, even.

Where are his log books? Significant as a social security number to a pilot.

[wooley12]

Want to put my name in this important thread with condolences for the loss. I lost a nephew that was like a son this summer. Fathers day ride on his Harley. Clipped a Suzuki going the other way on a twisty mountain road. Other guy walked away. Best advice I got was from my son in law with similar experience. You never get over it, but the lows get easier to get by and are less frequent. My nephew kept coming to visit my wife for a while after he passed. The birds are real. I don't know how, but they are real.

[bodywhomper]

I lost my uncle in a small engine plane crash a few years back. It took a few folks like my dad (the older brother), oldest daughter (my cousin), and my uncles last wife, who could all basically turn off most of the rest of their lives for a short time, for stuff to get done and for many peeps to get and feels some form of resolve. Saw a lot of people at the wake/celebration that were still in a stage of shock. It hit my grandmother the hardest. She seems like the most changed from the tragedy.

Good luck in the coming times.

[stuckathuntermtn]

There've been a couple small earthquakes. I haven't felt them. I've never felt a tremor or quake, but other people said they did and it was in the news.
This area is a little bit seismically active.

It's weird. I've been in Montana 9 years. I visited California and Alaska plenty. I've never felt anything, even when other people say they have.

The epicenter has been pretty much right here at his house.

I'm going with coincidence on this one. I don't feel shit. There's hot springs around here and we're maybe 2 hours from Yellowstone. Lots of magma moving around, or mountains settling.