He was in his Cessna 210 when he disappeared from radar near the N Ga town or Ranger, GA. Ranger is about 50 NNW of downtown Atlanta. HE was on his way to Va, his home.
Yesterday we had a severe sqalll line and IFR weather in NW Ga around the time of the crash. The highest tops, most rotation and most unstable lapse rates were in SE Tenn, NW GA, and the very W of NC. Ranger is just south of that area. The cells were moving roughly ESE.
The hilltops there are not all that high in Ranger, so I doubt this was controlled flight into terrain. I shouldn't speculate, and I'll get dinged for saying that much, but ... It was a good day to get into some really rough air, in the soup, get vertigo, and STP.
May he rest in peace. An aviation hero/legend.
"so I doubt this was controlled flight into terrain. I shouldn't speculate,"
Its possible too he simply died of natural causes in flight. Not a bad way to go for a pilot as long as no harm done on the ground.
At the age of 84, flying solo, it could have been any of a number of medical conditions that incapacitated him too.
-ccm