On Dec 2, 4:13*pm, db_sonic wrote:
Possibilities are;

- Weather (i.e. fog, rain) obscured the mountain. * Was fog seen
around this area at the time of the accident? * Could a microburst or
wave rotor create the same impact pattern?

No fog. Turbulent, yes. *We flew that day at TAGARs (Truckee glider
race). *While I can't vouch for the conditions at Mammoth, I am pretty
sure it was similar to Truckee. *We had bright blue conditions at TRK
with SW winds 20kts increasing thoughout the day to 30kts in the BL.
I remember looking south in that direction and seeing nice Cus develop
in the afternoon in the 15k range thinking, forget the race, why
didn't I go south..it looks really good(ya I had no chance of
winning). *Steve was flying earlier in the day so it was most likely
blue but the winds were probably there. *I couldnt tell from the
documentary if he then landed with the wind.

I believe the answer lies in Steve's mind-set that day, we know he
buzzed a ranch hand shortly after takeoff. The NTSB has removed the
accident report to update after finding the ship, but the original
report stated Steve was seen between 100 and 200 feet near 9-mile
ranch. He was having fun! If he was flying with that mind-set near the
crest of the Sierras on a windy day.........................
JJ