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Plane Crash Ever on Mount Mitchell?

PostPosted: Tue Oct 20, 2009 9:09 pm
by Scoffster
I was in a remote section of the mountain this past weekend and found a big (4' diameter) aircraft tire ("Royal Air Insignia). It looked weathered but was in great shape otherwise.

Did a plane ever crash in the Black Mountain range?

I should have took a picture of it--wonder if its age/model could be easily determined?

Any Thoughts?

PostPosted: Wed Oct 21, 2009 1:08 am
by nartreb
U.S. Rubber had (has?) a tire division called "US Royal"; they made car tires, motorcycle tires, truck tires, tractor tires, and airplane tires.

I wonder why you're confident it's not a truck tire (eg, from a logging skidder). The "Air" part of the name could just be marketing. A line of "US Royal Air Ride" tires {"the tire that ushered in the 'low-pressure era'"} was in production for a while; one model was used on the Corvette for a decade (but that model was only 27" tall).

On the other hand, there's this among possibly others

PostPosted: Wed Oct 21, 2009 1:34 am
by StarMan
Never heard of a plane crash in the Blacks... but you can find some remains (but no tires that I can remember) of the crash of a small plane not too far from the summit of Calloway Peak, just off the trail on the Daniel Boone Scout Trail in the Grandfather Mountain State Park of NC.

PostPosted: Wed Oct 21, 2009 4:11 am
by Scoffster
I guess b/c its a BIG tire and the tread is completely smooth save 4-5 parallel grooves wrapping around the tire. A pattern I associate w/ aircraft tires.

PostPosted: Wed Oct 21, 2009 11:10 pm
by mlandau3
There was a plane crash. Ron Tagliapietra's "The Southern Sixers" indicates that you can see wreckage from an airplane crash over a ridge on the left about one tenth of a mile beyond Big Tom on the BMCT. I've never seen the wreckage, though.

PostPosted: Thu Oct 22, 2009 2:01 am
by Scoffster
Interesting. Does RT's Southern Sixers give any info about plane type, when, etc?

Is it the crash Nartreb links?

Thx!
SS

PostPosted: Thu Oct 22, 2009 6:27 am
by chugach mtn boy
Scoffster wrote:Is it the crash Nartreb links?


No, Nartreb's crash is on Green Knob, quite a few miles S of Big Tom. And Nartreb's was a B-24 with BIG tires, maybe even bigger than what you described. :shock:
http://www.questmasters.us/B-24_Page_7.html

crash

PostPosted: Thu Oct 22, 2009 3:29 pm
by BobSmith
I seem to recall that there was an aircraft accident on Big Butt, just across from Mitchell, also. But I could be wrong--the old memory's getting rusty.

PostPosted: Fri Dec 04, 2009 3:50 am
by TimApNy
Scoffster
I'm very interested in the site I think you found. I can't confirm it is the crash site I think But I think you found one of the mains off a B-24E that crashed in that area in 1944. Ten men died in that crash. I'd love more information on the location of it, but would prefer if you PM'd me as crash sites seem to get stripped by folks with little respect for them.

I can send you more info on the crash, or post it here if you would like.

You can check out some pictures I've taken around the east coast crash sites http://tailhook-studio.smugmug.com/History
I take only pictures!

Tim

PostPosted: Fri Dec 04, 2009 4:05 am
by Hotoven
Aww man, that sounds really interesting. Can you get some photos next time?

PostPosted: Sat Dec 05, 2009 6:52 pm
by TimApNy
A B-24 Main tire is 56" in diameter. Looks like a close fit to me.

Tim

Re: Plane Crash Ever on Mount Mitchell?

PostPosted: Wed May 30, 2012 11:58 pm
by byrdrw72
Can you mark a map and attach it and send it to me. My uncle told me about the crash and have searched for it for the past few years. My email is byrdrw72@yahoo.com. Thanks!

Re: Plane Crash Ever on Mount Mitchell?

PostPosted: Wed Sep 12, 2012 5:33 pm
by johns
My father and 8 others were killed in a plane crash on Mt Mitchell October 5 1949. He was piloting an Air Force C-47; probably has a tire about that size. If you still have it please post a pic.

Thanks

Re: Plane Crash Ever on Mount Mitchell?

PostPosted: Mon Dec 10, 2012 1:27 am
by johns
DLSILVA sent me and email regarding the Oct 5 1949 crash but did not leave her email address. Please try again.
Thanks

Re: Plane Crash Ever on Mount Mitchell?

PostPosted: Mon Dec 10, 2012 7:14 pm
by nartreb
johns wrote:DLSILVA sent me and email regarding the Oct 5 1949 crash but did not leave her email address. Please try again.
Thanks

Did you try this?
http://www.summitpost.org/users/dlsilva/102764#