On Friday, January 16th, 2009 , Dave's sailplane crashed near the 10,000 level of Mauna Loa, Hawaii. He was trying to reach an altitude of 40,000 feet. He was last heard from at 28,000 feet . He had 2 oxygen systems installed: A low- altitude system designed for altitudes up to 30,000 feet and an A-14 military oxygen system designed for higher altitudes. The cause of this accident is still unknown and is being investigated by the NTSB. Flight-Recorder data recently recovered from the investigation reveals that Dave reached a maximum altitude of 38,700 on this final flight.
