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By this time the plane was fully engulfed. Hogg then saw that Good had
also managed to get out of the plane. He told them that the pilot, Jim
Long, reached over, unbuckled his seat belt and pushed him out of the
wreckage. The fire was intense and the three moved away from the burning
plane.
The weather that high in the mountains was harsh. It was snowing when
the plane crashed with winds in excess of 40 mph. All three were
injured, Ramige and Good severely. Temperatures dropped into the
twenties. Ramige’s shirt had burned off in the fire. The fire in the
fuselage burned out about dark and the three huddled together to stay
warm.
Hogg had a lighter and tried to start a fire but everything was wet. She
searched through the fuselage but their cell phones, satellite phone,
packs and survival gear had burned up in the fire. The three crawled
into a small shelter Hogg made from the cowling, doors and other debris.
Ken Good passed away the next morning. Hogg and Ramige decided to hike
out rather than spend another night in the harsh conditions on the
mountain. Hogg took apart their shelter and spread in around to make the
crash site more visible from the air (this also destroyed a significant
clue that someone had survived the crash.). They took Good’s coat for
Ramige and began the long, painful trek out.
When asked why they did not leave a note (Good had a pen and notebook in
his shirt pocket), Hogg said she thought it would be obvious someone had
survived because of all the foot prints in the snow. Unfortunately, the
snow had melted by the time the crash site was discovered.
Hogg and Ramige had made it to the bottom of the drainage by the time
the crash site was spotted. They watched helplessly as the helicopters
transported the team to and from the crash site and they saw the body of
their co-worker, brought out from the site via long line.
They spent a second cold, painful night in the wilderness and made it
out to the highway the next day where they were spotted by a passing
motorist.
It is a miracle that anyone survived the plane crash. We grieve with the
families that lost loved ones and admire Ramige and Hogg for the grit
and determination they showed after the crash.
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