[Steve_Seattle]

"If he buried the chute, that means he made it to the ground alive."

If he came down in a wooded area, there could have been 35 years of natural debris - decaying leaves, pine needles, etc - covering the parachute.

[fso301]

If he came down in a wooded area, there could have been 35 years of natural debris - decaying leaves, pine needles, etc - covering the parachute.

You mean if he came down in a wooded area and missed the trees.