Airplane Crash Kills Dad & Husband, Wayne Wirt

My name is April, I’m Wayne’s daughter-in-law, married to Wayne’s youngest son, Corey.

Wayne’s wife Cindy needs help raising at least 50k so we can remove the plane wreck from the side of the mountain. Forest service told us it isn’t an option to leave the plane where it is.

Please read on for the details of what has happened.

The story behind the devastating airplane crash that will forever change our lives on September 22, 2022:

Wayne married his wife Cindy 38 years ago and officially became the only father figure sweet young Shelby would know. A couple years and a couple babies later they had completed their family of 5.

Shelby (45), Christopher (35), and Corey (34) all grew up in rural Southern California on a private airstrip they all built together. Wayne lovingly built their off-grid family home which even included a swimming pool to give his kids a fun reprieve from the desert sun. Cindy was blessed to be able to stay home and raise the kids until the boys were in high school. Wayne spent his time outside of work teaching the boys how to build, repair, and maintain airplanes, vehicles, houses, and systems like solar power and battery banks - which ultimately sparked Corey’s interest in becoming an A&P aircraft mechanic.

Once Wayne retired from building Hollywood movie sets, he decided together with Cindy that they wanted to move closer to their kids and were currently in the process of moving all their families things to Chehalis, WA.

In Chehalis, Wayne spent time volunteering with his local Lions Club mowing school and church lawns, and helping his neighbors complete time intensive landscape projects. He also enjoyed helping his kids with their various endeavors in his shop. He loved tinkering and playing with new tools, and passed that love on to his boys.

On the week of September 18th Wayne and Christopher drove to their Llano, CA home to prepare Wayne’s Piper Cherokee airplane for a solo flight to Chehalis, WA. Christopher drove the car back to Chehalis for his dad.

Wayne sent his flight plan to Cindy and briefly spoke with Corey about where he was planning to go. Wayne was never meant to be in or near sisters, OR but was discovered to have fueled his airplane around 3pm on Thursday, September 22nd. This was the last time Cindy was able to see where he was.

Wayne missed his check in time with his family at 2 and never arrived in Chehalis around 5 as expected. At this point, Cindy called Corey and started raising alarms. Later that evening a missing persons report was filed.

Friday morning, September 23rd, we were made aware of hikers who reported hearing an airplane engine and loud crash around 4:15pm the day before. A wreckage was discovered by the coast guard Friday late morning.

It would be another agonizing day and a half, the morning of Sunday September 25th, before the investigative team could identify the aircraft as being Wayne’s.

The crash is still under investigation and the authorities are requiring the wreckage to be moved to a secure location. The plane was not insured so this heavy cost falls on Coreys family to cover. Because Wayne was the sole provider throughout Cindy and his marriage, Cindy is left with precious little to cover the impending bills and costs of this tragic affair.

We were quoted at least 50k just to remove the wreckage from the side of the steep mountain near Mt. Jefferson, OR.

If you’re able to help a fellow pilot or just have it on your heart to contribute, we would be incredibly grateful and promise to pay these acts of kindness forward in as many ways as we can.

Finally, please hug those you love a little tighter, we really never know when that’ll be the last time we say goodbye.

With love,

April