Climber who fatally fell 1,000 feet identified as off-duty Air France pilot

A missing off-duty Air France pilot’s body was found on Friday at Sequoia National Park, where he was believed to have fatally fallen 1,000 feet when hiking Mount Whitney.

Tom Gerbier, a French national, was an experienced mountaineer and ultra runner who had a permit to climb Mount Whitney on Oct. 17, according to the Inyo County Search & Rescue’s Facebook. According to Air France, Gerbier was on a stopover in Los Angeles.

The airline confirmed the “accidental death” of Gerbier in a statement to USA TODAY on Tuesday. “The company offers its most sincere condolences to his family and loved ones,” the airline said.

Mount Whitney is the highest peak in the contiguous U.S. and challenges climbers with its 6,200-foot elevation change and steep terrain.

He texted his family at around 5:47 a.m. local time that he was beginning his hike and was reported missing when he didn’t show up for his flight to France on Oct. 18.

More: Hiker who went missing in Sequoia National Park on 1st solo backpacking trip found safe

Rescue efforts included an aerial search by helicopter and a high altitude infrared and thermal imaging plane.

On Friday, another French climber found a discarded piece of equipment at an area known as “The Notch.”

“Inyo SAR ground teams hiked around to the North face of Mt. Whitney and located more items that matched the description of Gerbier’s equipment, further down the North Face,” the statement continued.

A helicopter flew over the area and found a “mountless climber.”

In a statement by the National Park Service, ground teams “noticed clues that a hiker may have fallen off a cliff in the area known as ‘The Notch.’ ” His body was recovered by helicopter and later identified as Gerbier.

“Lastly, we would like to remind everyone that the Mountaineer’s Route on Mt. Whitney is a technical climbing objective requiring high level mountaineering skills and equipment,” the Inyo County Search & Rescue statement continued. “It is not a hike and has claimed multiple lives in recent years.”

This is the second fatality for Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks this year, according to NPS.

Kathleen Wong is a travel reporter for USA TODAY based in Hawaii. You can reach her at kwong@usatoday.com.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Missing Air France pilot found dead after falling 1,000 off cliff