Pilot in Nevada crash dreamed of flying since his childhood in Ohio

Cameron Knight, Cincinnati Enquirer
·4 min read
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Scott Walton died piloting a medical flight in Nevada on Feb. 24. His family said he had taken a job at Guardian Flight last year.
Scott Walton died piloting a medical flight in Nevada on Feb. 24. His family said he had taken a job at Guardian Flight last year.

The pilot who was killed in a Nevada crash last week had long dreamed of flying. It started with the stories his grandfather told him of being a bombardier in a B-24, stories he heard growing up in Oxford, Ohio.

Scott Walton was piloting a PC 12 on Feb. 24 during a storm when the aircraft went down near Stagecoach, Nevada. Walton, a flight nurse, a flight paramedic, a patient and that's patient's relative all died in the crash, Guardian Flight confirmed.

The National Weather Service in Reno said it was snowing steadily with winds around 20 mph and gusts up to 30 mph, and visibility was under 2 miles with a cloud ceiling about 2,000 feet above ground when the flight left Reno.

The single-engine Pilatus PC12 apparently broke apart before hitting the ground about 40 miles southeast of Reno, according to the National Transportation Safety Board, which has sent a seven-member investigative team to the crash site.

Walton was 46. He is survived by his wife and three daughters, his mother and father and his two brothers.

Investigators are still working to determine why the plane went down.

Scott Walton died piloting a medical flight in Nevada on Feb. 24. He is survived by his wife and three daughters.
Scott Walton died piloting a medical flight in Nevada on Feb. 24. He is survived by his wife and three daughters.

Michael Walton said flying was a second career for this older brother, but it was something he always had wanted to do.

He talked about it growing up in Oxford and graduating from Badin High School. He talked about it with his first boss in the sales department of The Enquirer after he graduated from the University of Cincinnati with a degree in business in 2002.

He took flying lessons and got his pilot's license as he simultaneously navigated a successful career in marketing and advertising in Chicago.

"His interest continued to build for it," Michael Walton said. "It was a hobby. He would fly and sight see."

He recalled his brother once taking him on an aerial tour of Chicago.

"Eventually, he realized he wanted it to be his career," he said.

Scott Walton moved to Florida to attend flight school to earn his commercial pilot's license and would go to teach at the school for another year, then he landed his first job flying for a package delivery company. It was last year that he learned about Guardian Flight.

"Their mission spoke to him, to help people who were in desperate need for it." Michael Walton said. "He was perfect for the job. It gave professional life purpose and drive."

Despite his passion for work, Michael Walton said that paled in comparison to the passion he had for his family. He said his wife of 14 years and his three grade-school-aged girls were the light of his life.

Scott Walton also was a people person. He stayed tight with his brothers as they all built lives across the country. He also kept up his friendships in Cincinnati.

Rod Baker hired him fresh out of college at The Enquirer. Baker's department was recruitment and he oversaw automotive advertising.

"He was one of those guys that kept everybody happy. He was always positive about things," said Baker, who is now the publisher of the Ledger Independent in Maysville, Kentucky. "He was a trickster as well."

On more than one occasion, Baker would be reviewing ads only to see a familiar face staring back at him.

"He would work my face into somebody's ad!" Baker said. "I had to get him to stop."

Scott Walton died piloting a medical flight in Nevada on Feb. 24. He is survived by his wife and three daughters.
Scott Walton died piloting a medical flight in Nevada on Feb. 24. He is survived by his wife and three daughters.

Even after all these years, Scott Walton would still text him. They chatted just last month about a Facebook memory that had popped up featuring a photo of them.

"It's very sad," Baker said. "He's leaving behind a wife and kids."

Scott Walton was the primary earner for his family, his relatives said. They said want to do everything they can for his wife and children and have launched a GoFundMe campaign to raise money for them.

"Our hearts are broken for all those aboard the flight," the family said on the GoFundMe website. "We pray for all those who love them and are grieving too."

The Central Lyon Fire Department and Lyon County Sheriff’s Department are coordinating with the National Transportation Safety Board to determine the cause of the crash, Guardian Flight reported in a statement.

Following the incident, the company said it was going into a "passive stand down for all Guardian and Care Flight flights across the company."

The Associated Press contributed to this report

This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Pilot in Nevada crash dreamed of flying since his childhood in Ohio