SEATTLE (AP) — His son says doctors are "guardedly optimistic" about the condition of 76-year-old Richard Bach (bahk), the author of the 1970s best-seller "Jonathan Livingston Seagull" and other spiritually-oriented books.
Bach was flying a small plane that crashed yesterday in Washington state. He's hospitalized with a head injury and a broken shoulder.
The single-engine amphibian aircraft clipped power lines before it went down. Bach was the only person on board.
His son James today tweeted, "Things are looking better."
In "Jonathan Livingston Seagull," published in 1970, Bach writes of a philosophically minded seagull seeking to rise above the flock, which is focused on finding food scraps. Jonathan is banished from the group only to come upon more enlightened gulls who guide him to spiritual lessons, which Jonathan then passes along to others.
The short, simply crafted book gained little to no critical attention when it was published, but it rose to No. 1 for several weeks on the New York Times bestseller list, and Bach quickly drew a loyal following.
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200-q-15-(James Bach, son of author Richard Bach, in AP interview)-"his little airplane"-James Bach was asked if he has any doubt about his father's survival. (1 Sep 2012)
<<CUT *200 (09/01/12)>> 00:15 "his little airplane"
197-a-13-(James Bach, son of author Richard Bach, in AP interview)-"back into consciousness"-James Bach says his injured father is only slightly lucid after a plane crash that left him with a serious head injury. (1 Sep 2012)
<<CUT *197 (09/01/12)>> 00:13 "back into consciousness"
APPHOTO NY113: FILE - This 1975 file photo shows Richard Bach. Bach, who is known for his 1970s best-selling novella "Jonathan Livingston Seagull" among other spiritually oriented writings, was in serious condition Saturday, Sept. 1, 2012, after his small plane crashed in Washington state. His son James Bach told the Associated Press his father was on his way to visit a friend on San Juan Island in the north Puget Sound on Friday when his amphibian plane clipped a power line as it landed, sending the aircraft into a crash. (AP Photo/File) (27 Aug 2012)
<<APPHOTO NY113 (08/27/12)>>
APPHOTO NY115: In this Friday, Aug. 31, 2012 photo provided by the Journal of the San Juan Islands, the plane piloted by author Richard Bach lies overturned after crashing in a field, in Friday Harbor, Wash. Bach, the author of the 1970s best-selling novella "Jonathan Livingston Seagull" among other spiritually oriented writings often rooted in themes of flight, was in serious condition Saturday at Harborview Medical Center. (AP Photo/Journal of the San Juan Islands, Steve Wehrly) MANDATORY CREDIT (31 Aug 2012)
<<APPHOTO NY115 (08/31/12)>>
APPHOTO NYSB201: In this Friday, Aug. 31, 2012 photo provided by the San Juan Islander, emergency personnel attend to pilot Richard Bach after Bach's plane crashed in a field, in Friday Harbor, Wash. Bach, the author of the 1970s best-selling novella "Jonathan Livingston Seagull" among other spiritually oriented writings often rooted in themes of flight, was in serious condition Saturday at Harborview Medical Center. (AP Photo/San Juan Islander, Matt Pranger) MANDATORY CREDIT (31 Aug 2012)
<<APPHOTO NYSB201 (08/31/12)>>
