Reason #15 not to scud run

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hankrausch

Pre-takeoff checklist
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Hiking the AT today we came across this wreckage on the East side of the trail just below the ridge, near the Blackburn Trail Center on the WV-VA line. It was a low wing single engine with a fat chord and fixed gear, looked like a single central yoke, which still worked.

Anyone know anything about it?
It has to have been there at least 20 years.
 

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This application kicks my behind! I think I have posted the pic now. I don't know, logical deduction? The foundation of Western civilization? Can't think of many other reasons to fly your plane into the side of a mountain.
 
hankrausch said:
This application kicks my behind! I think I have posted the pic now. I don't know, logical deduction? The foundation of Western civilization? Can't think of many other reasons to fly your plane into the side of a mountain.
Click to expand...
Just confirming the picture is now up and working...
 
Wasn't scud running, the pilot was distracted playing with one of those hand held electronic football games with the little blinky lights.:lol:
 
just as likely, probably more so, to be botched IFR than scud running.
 
http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Texas_International_Airlines_Flight_655

This airline accident was partially caused by scud running. By the time the first officer figured out where they were they smacked the side of a mountain. The sad part is that the impact happened in the middle of the first officer telling the captain what the MEA was.

"Minimum en route altitude here is forty-four hun . . ." - End of Recording

The weakage is still located on the mountainside.

http://forgottensoutheast.com/locations/tia655/tia655.php
 
ARFlyer said:
http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Texas_International_Airlines_Flight_655

This airline accident was partially caused by scud running. By the time the first officer figured out where they were they smacked the side of a mountain. The sad part is that the impact happened in the middle of the first officer telling the captain what the MEA was.

"Minimum en route altitude here is forty-four hun . . ." - End of Recording

The weakage is still located on the mountainside.

http://forgottensoutheast.com/locations/tia655/tia655.php
Click to expand...

Mena seems to swallow planes.
 
Unit74 said:
Mena seems to swallow planes.
Click to expand...

I've failed a student for planning a x/c at 2000' that direction. I asked him if he read the "Rapidly Rising Terrain" warning. He stated that he didn't think that applied to him. :mad2:

"Here's a failure mark on your lesson and I'll be talking to your CFI shortly."
 
Not many realized that airliners could fly VFR before this accident. I was going to school in Tulsa and would fly back to Texas for the weekends and was asked by FSS to keep out for the site. They still hadn't located it.
Nothing but IFR after that.


ARFlyer said:
http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Texas_International_Airlines_Flight_655

This airline accident was partially caused by scud running. By the time the first officer figured out where they were they smacked the side of a mountain. The sad part is that the impact happened in the middle of the first officer telling the captain what the MEA was.

"Minimum en route altitude here is forty-four hun . . ." - End of Recording

The weakage is still located on the mountainside.

http://forgottensoutheast.com/locations/tia655/tia655.php
Click to expand...
 
Could be VFR into IMC,scud running or one of many reasons.
 
hankrausch said:
Hiking the AT today we came across this wreckage on the East side of the trail just below the ridge, near the Blackburn Trail Center on the WV-VA line. It was a low wing single engine with a fat chord and fixed gear, looked like a single central yoke, which still worked.

Anyone know anything about it?
It has to have been there at least 20 years.
Click to expand...

There have been any number of planes that have gone down near there over the years. There was an airliner that went down there in the 40s or 50s. Have to do some research to know exactly which one.
 
Henning said:
Looks like a Cherokee
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Pedals in PA-28 come from the floor, so no. What looks like the distinctive hand-hold could be a compass pedestal.

My guess is a homebuilt of some kind.
 
Looks like the pedals in my Cherokee. The firewall area also looks similar. I am going to go with Cherokee as well.
 
OK, I finally figured out how to get photos off this thing, here are a few more I snapped there, showing a gear strut and pitot tube and the side of the wing that has the black rough walking area.

The engine is missing but it does look like it was flown due west into the east side of the mountain. I am intrigued by the site as there is wreckage of a DC3 on the other side of the ridge not 1/2 mile away, that was a Capital Airlines flight from Pittsburgh that plowed into the mountain in 1947. And about 10 miles down the trail is the wreckage of a 727 that crashed into the west side in 1974. So this mountain does seem to attack its share of planes.
 

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Wow, that doesn't look like it's been there very long.

Did you get an N number?

FYI, that really really really looks like a Cherokee. It even has the Piper pitot tube.
 
I posted the best pic of what of the N number I could find, I think it def. shows a "7" and probably a "W", not an "M" if that "7" is correct.
 
hankrausch said:
OK, I finally figured out how to get photos off this thing, here are a few more I snapped there, showing a gear strut and pitot tube and the side of the wing that has the black rough walking area.

The engine is missing but it does look like it was flown due west into the east side of the mountain. I am intrigued by the site as there is wreckage of a DC3 on the other side of the ridge not 1/2 mile away, that was a Capital Airlines flight from Pittsburgh that plowed into the mountain in 1947. And about 10 miles down the trail is the wreckage of a 727 that crashed into the west side in 1974. So this mountain does seem to attack its share of planes.
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Near a VOR? Can you put the location on a map for us?
 
Here is where it is, I do not think there is a VOR nearby--gosh its been ages since I navigated with those!
 

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Yes that seems a bit farther south than this, the approx coordinates of the one I found are

39.183319, -77.801798
 
zaitcev said:
Pedals in PA-28 come from the floor, so no. What looks like the distinctive hand-hold could be a compass pedestal.

My guess is a homebuilt of some kind.
Click to expand...

:confused: It has been a long time since I worked on a Cherokee down in the well, but the picture in my mind drops them down. The Beech's come from the floor.
 
Carole Lombard

105163_kyerol-lombard_or_Carole-Lombard_1600x1200_(www.GdeFon.ru).jpg
 
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Wow, this appears to have happened a bit north of the wreckage that I saw but thanks very much for posting it, it was quite a sobering read.
 
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