Pilot had flown to Libby 'hundreds of times'

LIBBY — Carl Douglas was a risk-taker who built a multimillion-dollar company from scratch, loved to fly airplanes and never ran from a challenge.

But he lost his life when those traits collided during a snowstorm in the middle of the night in the mountains near Libby.

Douglas, 54, was pronounced dead Thursday afternoon after the wreckage of his turbo-prop airplane was discovered high atop Swede Mountain southeast of Libby. John Smith, 43, also died in the crash.

The two men were traveling from Coolidge, Ariz., to Libby for a business meeting Wednesday at Stinger Welding, where Douglas was the chief executive officer and Smith was an employee.

It was a heartbreaking loss for Douglas’ friends and family, who described him as an outgoing, ambitious man who always followed his dreams.

“He was a big dreamer, and he was a leader,” said his sister Linda Reid. “But because of those dreams, he always went after them. He never let things stop him, even weather conditions. And everyone in the family knows he was pushing it because he had a meeting on Friday.

“He broke the cardinal rule: There are old pilots and bold pilots, but you never hear about any old, bold pilots.”

His business venture in Libby brought Douglas to the Northwest Montana town frequently.

“He’d flown into Libby hundreds of times from Arizona,” Libby Airport Board Chairman Ron Denowh said. “In 2011, logbooks indicate he’s flown into Libby 110 times, sometimes two or three times a day.”

Douglas joined his father in the construction industry when he was in high school and later founded a series of businesses in construction, bridge-building and welding.

He made a small fortune by building bridges across the network of interstates that pass through Phoenix and other metro areas in the Southwest. And he helped rebuild the Bay Bridge in San Francisco.

His most recent venture was opening a branch office in Libby for Stinger Welding, which is based in Coolidge near his hometown of Florence, Ariz. The branch office, which opened in 2009, became one of Libby’s larger employers almost overnight.

The Stinger branch in Libby was heavily subsidized by government grants intended to promote economic development. It ran into financial trouble this year when bills piled up and contracts dried up.

Douglas’ family said his intentions to help the Libby community by creating jobs and a sustainable business were overshadowed by Stinger’s financial troubles.

“I know he wasn’t perfect. Nobody is,” said Debbie Holyoak, another of Douglas’ sisters. “But he was a good man who always had a smile on his face and always tried to help people. I don’t know what possessed him to start the business in Montana, but it was needed and he wanted to help the community.”

Mike Hatch, who said he was Douglas’ best friend when they were young, remembers taking rides in a small plane owned by Douglas’ father. Even then, Douglas enjoyed adventure and, specifically, flying.

“He was either going full blast or he wasn’t going,” Hatch said. “It was no surprise that he got his pilot license. He loved to fly, and he’s been doing it for more than 20 years.”

Douglas used his plane to travel between his homes in Arizona, Montana and Mexico. He often took friends and family on fishing excursions off the Mexican coast.

Douglas left behind a wife, Stephanie Jordan, and an 11-year-old daughter, Paige.

Funeral services will be held at 11 a.m. Thursday at the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Florence, Ariz.

Reid said her brother may have been only 54, but he lived enough life to fill 108 years.

“You only live once. But if you do it right, that’s enough.” Holyoak said. “He died doing what he loved to do. He loved to fly.”