I heard there were a lot of plane crashes into the Smokey Mountains and I decided to find one and hike to it! However, not anymore – It’s gone!
Fortunately, the Forest service has removed the plane and is providing protection of resources and rare plants in the area after years of being trampled by hikers and visitors on this trail.
Here’s the story; on November 24, 1983, a Cessna 414 was flying from West Chicago to the Jackson County Airport here in the NC mountains. It crashed a little before 6pm at about 6,000 feet. Neither the pilot nor passenger survived. The cause of the crash was determined to be a combination of weather conditions/poor visibility and alcohol (the pilot’s blood alcohol level was 0.04%).
A flight plan was never filed, which could mean anything (fun, drugs, etc.) certainly the pilot would have been flying by sight and ducking under clouds to avoid radar. As it turned out, the plane could have made it over the mountain if it had been about 150 feet higher! There are no engines at the site as they were salvaged soon after the crash.
Directions have been removed as well. If we hike to the top elevation is 6,300 feet. Most of the trees at the higher levels are evergreen and it smells like a Christmas tree farm as you near the top.
It’s been said not to ever go alone to the crash site, or too close to dark. I’d be amazed if there weren’t ghosts there! For now, we can just see what once was there in these pictures:
If you are interested in the official NEWS RELEASE announcing wreckage removal – Remaining 1983 plane wreckage near Waterrock Knob removed – Blue Ridge Parkway (U.S. National Park Service) (nps.gov)