20030327023319A

Accident · Destroyed

FAA accident report · Cessna 172R · Cherokee, NC · March 27, 2003

Date: March 27, 2003 · 20:35 local
Place: Cherokee, NC
Phase of flight: Scud Running
Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
Damage: Destroyed
Aircraft: N35255
NTSB investigation: NTSBATL03FA070
Reported as: Cessna 172R
People aboard: 1
Fatal injuries: 1
Pilot’s flight hours: 90 total6 in this make and model

N35255Registration cancelled Feb 17, 2011 · Cessna 172RS/N 17281001 Airframe modelCessna 172R

From the FAA’s Accident/Incident Data System (AIDS), through its Aviation Safety Information Portal, as reported. The NTSB investigates accidents separately, and its record of an accident is the fuller one. The aircraft is matched to the registry 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.

What happened

The FAA’s narrative, in sentence case. The FAA writes it in capitals and removes private details.

(-23) Aircraft departed columbia metropolitan airport (cae), columbia, SC, at 1909 EST with pilot, Mr. Woodson and a passenger. Aircraft landed at pickens county airport (lqk), SC, and passenger deplaned. Aircraft departed lqk enroute to knoxville downtown island airport (dkx), knoxville, TN. Mr. Woodson contacted knoxville approach control (tys) and requested the current weather at dkx. Mr. Woodson switched to AWOS frequency, but did not return to approach control. Radar contact was lost at 2035 EST. The aircraft impacted the ground near the summit of clingmans dome in the great smoky mountains national park. A search was made by park rangers and civil air patrol personnel to track the ELT signal to help pinpoint the crash site. Rangers located the wreckage the following morning. Mr. Woodson sustained fatal injuries in the crash.

As the FAA filed it

(-23) AIRCRAFT DEPARTED COLUMBIA METROPOLITAN AIRPORT (CAE), COLUMBIA, SC, AT 1909 EST WITH PILOT, MR. WOODSON AND A PASSENGER. AIRCRAFT LANDED AT PICKENS COUNTY AIRPORT (LQK), SC, AND PASSENGER DEPLANED. AIRCRAFT DEPARTED LQK ENROUTE TO KNOXVILLE DOWNTOWN ISLAND AIRPORT (DKX), KNOXVILLE, TN. MR. WOODSON CONTACTED KNOXVILLE APPROACH CONTROL (TYS) AND REQUESTED THE CURRENT WEATHER AT DKX. MR. WOODSON SWITCHED TO AWOS FREQUENCY, BUT DID NOT RETURN TO APPROACH CONTROL. RADAR CONTACT WAS LOST AT 2035 EST. THE AIRCRAFT IMPACTED THE GROUND NEAR THE SUMMIT OF CLINGMANS DOME IN THE GREAT SMOKY MOUNTAINS NATIONAL PARK. A SEARCH WAS MADE BY PARK RANGERS AND CIVIL AIR PATROL PERSONNEL TO TRACK THE ELT SIGNAL TO HELP PINPOINT THE CRASH SITE. RANGERS LOCATED THE WRECKAGE THE FOLLOWING MORNING. MR. WOODSON SUSTAINED FATAL INJURIES IN THE CRASH.

NTSB investigation

The NTSB’s investigation of this event, with its probable cause and findings. Matched to this report by N-number and date.

NTSB ATL03FA070Accident · 1 fatalField investigationFinal reportCherokee, NCThe pilot's failure to maintain adequate terrain clearance, which resulted in an in-flight collision with mountainous terrain.Mar 28, 2003 · Destroyed