Small Plane Crashes along the Pinhoti National Recreation Trail
January 12, 2013 by John N Calhoun
Listed below are a few of the details on 11 small plane crashes that happened near the Pinhoti Trail. I tried to list them from south to north. Much more detailed information on each of these is available on the www.NTSB.gov site. The only one I’ve personally visited is near McDill Point which is south of Hernandez Peak.
Other locations that I’ve been told there had been crashes are: A military aircraft that hit just below Bald Rock in Cheaha St Park during WWII, one that had hit just below the swimming pool near the Cheaha St Park Restaurant, one that had crashed on the slopes of Burgess Point near the old fire tower site (south of Adams Gap), two that had crashed without fatalities near the Salt Creek Baptist Church, and one that had crashed within the past 5 years near the Cheaha Trail-Head off AL Hwy 281. I’m sure there are many more.
Dec. 31, 1972, Cessna 210-D. Aircraft # N3773Y. NTSB# MIA73AM071 4 deaths (Hollins, AL area)
“RECOVERED 1/7/73. FLEW INTO OBSCURED MTN SLOPE”.
(exact location not given)
June 27, 1996, Cessna C-152. N95396. ATL96FA096. 2 deaths
“The airplane collided with an eighteen foot section of an antenna installed on top of a U.S. Forest Service fire watch tower (Horn Mountain near Talladega, Alabama). The wreckage rested on a 100 degree magnetic heading and scattered over an area approximately 75 feet long and 45 feet wide. The fire damaged airplane wreckage rested in a wooded area 300 feet north of the fire watch tower.”
The flight was from Chattanooga, Tennessee.
Nov. 21, 1967, Piper PA-30, N8124Y. MIA68A0049, 1 death , Clairmont Gap-Chandler Spr. Area?
Flight from Jacksonville, FL to Talladega, AL Victor 66 Airway. I estimate the crash elevation was between 1500-1800’. The exact location is not given. The twin engine plane was completely destroyed by fire. There was a law suit following this crash.
March 21, 1989. BEECH F33A. N6387S. ATL89FA113. 1 death. (Ashland, AL area)
“THE ACFT COLLIDED WITH TREES ON A MTN RIDGE AT AN ELEVATION OF ABOUT 1800 FT. A PARK RANGER STATED THAT ALL RIDGES IN THE VICINITY OF THE ACCIDENT SITE WERE OBSCURED AT THE APPROXIMATE TIME OF THE ACCIDENT.”
(location on the west slope of Burgess Point near FS600-2)
March 22, 1991. PIPER PA-28R-200. N7523C. ATL91FA069 4 died. (Ashland, AL area)
“THE AIRPLANE COLLIDED WITH A MOUNTAIN RIDGE AT ABOUT THE 2000 FT LEVEL”.
(The report does not give the exact location of the crash.)
December 29, 1991, BEECH C23. N9304S. ATL92FA033. 2 fatalities ( LINEVILLE, AL area)
“THE AIRCRAFT CRASHED ON CHEAHA MOUNTAIN IN A NEAR LEVEL FLIGHT ATTITUDE AT AN ELEVATION OF ABOUT 1,700 FEET. THE MOUNTAIN WAS REPORTED TO BE OBSCURED IN CLOUDS THROUGHOUT THE DAY”
(The exact location is not reported)
November 19, 1984. CESSNA 172K. N46537. ATL85FA041. Injuries: 1 Serious,2 Minor. ( LINEVILLE, AL)
“PLT UNABLE TO CONTROL ACFT BEFORE CONTACTING TREES AT THE 1900 FT LEVEL ON THE SE SIDE OF MT. CHEHA. THE MOUNTAIN RIDGE ELEVATION IS APRX 2100 FT. FAMILY WAS FLYING TO MILITARY GRADUATION OF THE WIFES SON.”
(exact location is not given)
Dec. 26, 1972. MOONEY M20C. N6386Q. MIA73AM068. 1 died.
“RECOVERED 12/28/72 ABOUT 100 FT BLO MTN RIDGE.” South of McDill Point on Cheaha St. Park land (at that time) Flight was from Longview, TX to Marietta, GA
April 10, 2003. Cessna 180, N3166D. ATL03FA075. 2 died
“A hiker in the Cheaha State Park discovered the wreckage of the downed airplane along a hiking trail at approximately the 1800-foot level of Hernandez Peak.”
Flight was from Thomasville, GA to Gadsden,AL
December 24, 2009. Piper PA-28-140. N1277T. ERA10FA099. 1 death.
“The airplane impacted a heavily wooded area, at an elevation of 1,244 feet, in the vicinity of 33 degrees, 42 minutes north latitude, and 085 degrees 36 minutes west longitude. The airplane came to rest, upright, oriented downslope on a heading of 120 degrees magnetic. The terrain inclined at approximately 35 degrees. All components of the airplane were located in a compact area, there was no wreckage path, and trees in the surrounding vicinity were not disturbed.”
I was informed that the crash site was on the east side of FS501-L north of FS500 (probably in the northwest ¼ of section 32 north of Heflin, AL).
November 2, 1998. Cessna 182Q, N735JZ. MIA99FA027. 2 died, 1 survived.
“The airplane impacted dense forest of 10- to 40-feet oak and hickory trees on the crest of Duggar Mountain at about 2,000 feet msl, in a wings level, upright attitude. The coordinates of the wreckage were centered at about N 33.52.78 by W 85.35.88.9 degrees, or about 4 miles southeast of Piedmont, Alabama.” (Dugger Mt.) “the survivor, who walked from the crash site the next morning…”. “flight from Storm Lake, Iowa, to West Regional Airport, (Carrollton), Georgia,” . “registered to R. A. Hollingsworth Family, LLLP”