Air France pilot falls off cliff to his death while hiking California’s towering Mount Whitney

SEQUOIA NATIONAL PARK, Calif. (AP) — A pilot from France who disappeared while hiking California’s towering Mount Whitney was found dead after falling about 1,000 feet off a cliff. The National Park Service says the hiker was identified as Tom Gerbier of Fontenay-sous-Bois, France. Gerbier started out early Tuesday and was reported missing when he didn’t show up for his return flight Wednesday. Searchers found indications of cliff fall, and a helicopter crew spotted the body. The San Francisco Chronicle reports that Air France said in a statement that Gerbier had been on a stopover in Los Angeles. Mount Whitney is the tallest mountain in the contiguous United States, rising 14,494 feet on the eastern border of Sequoia National Park. It is a difficult but popular hike.