# Accident 19970705016959A: Piper PA28140, Spruce Pine, NC, July 5, 1997

- Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: July 5, 1997, 10:00 local time
- Place: Spruce Pine, NC
- Airport: Avery Morrison
- Damage: Destroyed
- Phase of flight: Forced/Precautionary Landing
- Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
- Location: 35.9091° N, 82.0597° W: From the FAA, an estimate near the named town, within about 3 miles
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=35.9091&lon=-82.0597&mi=10
- Aircraft: N5807U, a cancelled registration (https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N5807U-1997-10-23) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry model: Piper PA-28-140 (registry code 7102802, https://openairdocs.org/model/piper-pa-28-140) (OpenAirDocs)
- Reported make and model: PIPER PA28140
- Reported engine: LYC O320A1A
- Fatal injuries: 0
- Pilot flight hours: 170 total, 25 in this make and model, 25 in the last 90 days
- NTSB investigation: [NTSB ATL97LA096](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/ATL97LA096) (OpenAirDocs)
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/19970705016959A

## Narrative

As the FAA filed it, in capitals; the FAA replaces private details with ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^.

DOWNWIND TAKEOFF DUE MOUNTAINS IN AREA. TURNED WRONG WAY. SETTLED INTO TREES ON RISING TERRAIN. DENSITY ALT FACTOR. (-23) AVERY COUNTY AIRPORT (7A8) ALSO KNOWN AS MORRISON FIELD IS LOCATED IN SPRUCE PINE, NORTH CAROLINA. THERE IS MOUNTAINOUS TERRAIN TOWERING TO THE WEST, NORTHWEST, NORTH, AND EAST. BECAUSE OF THIS TERRAIN, AND WHEN WIND CONDITIONS ARE LESS THAN 10 KNOTS TAILWIND COMPONENT, LOCAL PILOTS PREFER TO DEPART RUNWAY 16, AND TURN RIGHT TO A SOUTHWESTERLY COURSE SO AS TO PARALLEL THE DOMINANT RIDGELINE AS THEY CLIMB. THIS WAS THE PILOTS FIRST DEPARTURE FROM 7A8 AND AFTER DEPARTING RUNWAY 16, WITH A TAILWIND, HE TURNED LEFT. ONCE ESTABLISHED ON A EASTERLY HEADING THE SITUATION DETERIORATED QUICKLY. THE PILOT SAID HE DARED NOT TURN SO CLOSE TO THE TREETOPS, AND THE AIRSPEED MUST HAVE SLOWED AS THE AIRCRAFT WAS NOT ABLE TO CLIMB AS RAPIDLY AS THE TERRAIN WAS RISING. THE AIRCRAFT THEN SETTLED INTO THE TREETOPS. THE PILOT SAID THAT THE PLANE WAS SUSPENDED IN THE TREES FOR WHAT SEEMED A VERY LONG TIME. THEN THE OUTBOARD WING PANELS SEPARATED, AND THE PLANE CRASHED TO THE FOREST FLOOR AND CAUGHT FIRE. BADLY BRUISED, THE PILOT STILL WAS ABLE TO PUL                                  L HIS WIFE CLEAR OF THE BURNING WRECKAGE. THE PIPER PA-28, KNOWN AS A "CHEEROKEE", WAS DESTROYED BY FLAMES.

## The NTSB's investigation of this event (1)

From the NTSB's public API. Aircraft are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported serial number, make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.

- [NTSB ATL97LA096](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/ATL97LA096), Jul 5, 1997: Piper PA-28-140 (N5807U), Spruce Pine, NC, substantial damage. Probable cause: The pilot's failure to maintain terrain clearance after turning the wrong way in a traffic pattern.

From the FAA Accident/Incident Data System. Reports are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model. For accidents, the NTSB's own investigation is the fuller record.

---
OpenAirDocs.org is an independent research project of [Contrail Labs](https://contraillabs.com/). It is not affiliated with the FAA or the NTSB. Source documents are U.S. government works in the public domain.