Lived to Fly: Pablo Foods owner in critical condition

Brett Allen Thoft, 33, died just south of Polson last week, just a few miles from the Irvine Flats ranch where he grew up.

Thoft, who was piloting family friend Tim Schauss in a single-engine, two-seat Piper airplane, crashed into a hillside west of Pablo at about 4:30 p.m Dec. 16.  

Residents who saw the crash called emergency dispatch and helped responders locate the plane, which landed in rugged terrain, Karen Sargeant, Lake County Sheriff’s Office public relations representative, said.

Thoft and Schauss were on a sightseeing trip when the plane went down, she said.

“It’s very steep terrain, very hard to get to,” Sargeant said.

Thoft, who operates an air taxi business out of Wasilla, Alaska, was in Lake County visiting family when the accident occurred. The National Transportation Safety Board is conducting an investigation.

Schauss is co-owner of Pablo Family Foods.

After the Dec. 16 crash, Schauss was airlifted to Kalispell Regional Medical Center with injuries to his legs and back, his son Taylor Schauss said. Taylor is running Pablo Family Foods in his father’s absence.

Medical personnel in Kalispell then flew Schauss to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle, where he was listed in critical condition at press time this week.

Many members of Schauss’ family are waiting at Harborview Medical Center in Seattle, Taylor Schauss said.

Thoft, who is married to Polson native Nicole Stanley, has two daughters — four and six years old.  

“Brett was happy to have the love of his life,” his obituary read. The couple started Full Curl Aviation in Wasilla, providing air-taxi service around the state.

Thoft was born in Missoula and raised in Irvine Flats. He earned several aviation degrees before he moved to Alaska where he earned his registered guide and outfitter license. Thoft was an FAA-authorized aircraft inspector and had roughly 5,000 of hours under his belt, his obituary said.

Thoft’s passion for air flight took off as a child. Thoft had taken many helicopter rides with family friend Ron Gipe, the obituary said.  In his teens, Brett purchased a Piper J-3 cub and earned his pilot license. He flew that J-3 back and forth across the Mission Mountains to Helena while attending college for aviation mechanics.

Brian and Sean Donovan grew up with Thoft and worked together in Alaska.

Brian Donovan and Holly Behm created two outlets for community members to give the family donations.

Within its first three days after posting a Go Fund Me dedicated to Thoft’s family, family and friends collected $8,560 of the $30,000 requested.

Thoft has family throughout Lake County who will be holding a celebration of Thoft’s life at 1 p.m. Dec. 27 at the Ronan Community Center.