HENDERSONVILLE, N.C. (WBTW) — More than 80 people died in North Carolina’s most deadly plane crash, according to data from the National Transportation Safety Board.
The large majority of plane crashes involve private, small airplanes with a handful of passengers. In one crash, a pilot was being intercepted by Air Force jets when he flew into a plane. For others, pilots took off or landed in fog that offered no visibility.
More than a dozen crashes have killed five people. However, only the most recent have been included on this list. Ties were broken by using the most recent crash.
For older crashes, a full NTSB narrative is not available. The oldest crash reports in the database are form 1964, and the most recent are from 2007.
Here are the 10 most deadly plane crashes in North Carolina, according to the NTSB:
10. Sept. 30, 1987
Location: Manteo
Aircraft: Beech 95-B55
Killed: Five
A witness saw the aircraft crash into the ocean near the beach, according to a crash report.
The probable causes of the crash were listed as glassy water, an inattentive pilot and a descent that was not corrected.
9. March 1, 2003
Location: Mount Airy
Aircraft: Beech BE-36A
Killed: Five
Five people were killed and the plane was destroyed after the aircraft collided with the ground shortly after takeoff, according to a crash report.
The personal flight hit terrain on the south side of a hill in a near vertical position — penetrating the ground eight feet deep.
An examination after the crash didn’t find any problems with the airframe or systems. A probable cause of the crash is listed as the pilot’s failure to maintain control of the plane due to spatial disorientation, with low clouds listed as a contributing factor.
8. Jan. 20, 1968
Location: Tobaccoville
Aircraft: Piper PA-31
Killed: Six
The two crew members and the personal transportation flight’s four passengers were killed when the aircraft stalled and spun, according to a crash report.
The NTSB believes that the pilot was practicing stalls when the plane began a flat spin. The probable cause of the crash is listed as failure to obtain and maintain flying speed.
7. July 2, 1971
Location: Old Fort
Aircraft: Beech S35
Killed: Six
The pilot and six passengers were killed when the personal transportation trip had a failure in flight and hit the ground, according to a crash report.
Visibility at the site is listed as “zero,” and there was a thunderstorm there at the time.
The plane had departed from Asheville and was on its way to Detroit at the time when it disintegrated.
Probable causes are listed as the pilot continuing the flight into adverse weather conditions, the pilot exceeding designed stress limits on the aircraft, an overload failure and a thunderstorm. Factors include “separation in flight.”
6. April 13, 1973
Location: Greensboro
Aircraft: Cessna 402A
Killed: Six
The airplane’s pilot and five passengers were killed during a demonstration flight, according to a crash report.
The flight had taken off from Greenboro when it had an uncontrolled descent and crashed into the ground. The bolt connecting the aft elevated bell crank and the elevated pushrod came loose, according to the report.
5. May 15, 1992
Location: Greenville
Aircraft: Piper PA-32-260
Killed: Six
The pilot had received his instrument rating two days before the flight, according to a crash report, and had told his former teacher that he needed the rating to avoid getting stuck on trips. The report states that “he was concerned that his family and friends would be disappointed, if this trip was cancelled or delayed.”
Visibility at the time of the crash “had dropped to zero,” according to the report. After takeoff, the plane reached an altitude of 300 feet, and then crashed into wooded terrain a quarter mile away from the airport’s center. The plane had been in a steep left bank when it crashed.
No failure or malfunction of the plane was found.
The probable cause of the crash are listed as the pilot’s failure to maintain a proper climb rate after takeoff after becoming spatially disoriented, with a other factors listed as adverse weather conditions, the pilot’s self-induced pressure to do the flight and lack of instrument flight experience.
4. Feb. 7, 1981
Location: Chapel Hill
Aircraft: Cessna 340A
Killed: Seven
Two members of the crew and five passengers on the corporate flight were killed when the plane crashed into trees when it was trying to land, according to a crash report. The aircraft had been on its way from Washington, D.C. to Chapel Hill at the time of the crash.
The weather was foggy at the time, and the plane was 554 lbs over it’s maximum listed weight. A probable cause for the crash is listed as the pilot not following instrument flight rules. Visibility at the site is listed as “zero.”
3. Jan. 9, 1983
Location: Cherry Point
Aircraft: Beech D55 and McDonnel Douglas F4C
Killed: Seven
The two aircraft collided at about 9,500 feet 30 miles south of Cherry Point, according to the crash report. The pilot of the Beech never activated his flight plan. When the U.S. Air Force asked for identification, the Federal Aviation Authority was not controlling any traffic in that area, so an intercept order was issued.
The FAA received a position report from the Beech and relayed it to military control, but two fighter aircraft continued to close in on the Beech for radar contact. Seconds before the planes collided, the Beech turned left as requested by the FAA, turning it into the path of one of the planes following it, which had also turned left to break off its intercept maneuver.
The NTSB didn’t determine the probable cause of the crash, but listed finding to be that the pilot in command of the Beech didn’t follow directives and procedures, that the Beech pilot did not follow in-flight planning and decisions, that there was inadequate coordination with government personnel, that the Air Force plane did not maintain distance and that the Air Force pilot had an excessive airspeed.
Seven people on the Beech were killed, and two people on the military plane were not harmed.
2. Sept. 11, 1974
Location: Charlotte
Aircraft: Douglas DC9-31
Killed: 71
The flight was on its way from Charleston to Chicago when it crashed while trying to land at a stop in Charlotte, according to a crash report. The type of crash is listed as a uncontrolled collision with ground or water.
Probable causes are listed as the pilot in command failing to follow approved procedures or directives, poor crew coordination and the copilot not following instrument flight rules. The report notes that there was a lack of altitude awareness during the approach to the airport.
Of the 82 people on the light, 71 died and 10 were seriously injured.
- July 19, 1967
Location: Hendersonville
Aircraft: Cessna 310 and a Boeing 727
Killed: 82
All of the passengers and pilots were killed when two plans collided at about 11 a.m., according to crash reports.
At the time of the crash, the Boeing 727 was climbing to cruise altitude, and the Cessna was already cruising as part of a noncommercial corporate flight. According to the report, the Cessna deviated from its clearance and into the flightpath of the Boeing.
Although details in the crash reports are limited, the probable cause of the crash is listed as the Cessna pilot not following instrument flight rules. Other factors are listed as “traffic control personnel.”