View Full Version : Plane Crash on Slaughter Mtn.
MoodyBluer
11-30-2005, 13:31
Read in the Atl Journal-Constitution where there was a crash of a small plane on or near Slaughter Mtn last weekend...pilot's wife died and he survived a night by himself near the wreckage and made his way to a trail the next morning where he was found by hikers around 8:45 am, dazed and confused (w/ apologies to Led Zeppelin). The paper said he would recover but said nothing else...anybody know if he was found by hikers on the AT near Slaughter Gap or near the Freeman Trail?
I suspect he was found on the Duncan Ridge Trail which traverses Slaughter Mountain.
Dances with Mice
11-30-2005, 14:12
Read in the Atl Journal-Constitution where there was a crash of a small plane on or near Slaughter Mtn last weekend...pilot's wife died and he survived a night by himself near the wreckage and made his way to a trail the next morning where he was found by hikers around 8:45 am, dazed and confused (w/ apologies to Led Zeppelin). The paper said he would recover but said nothing else...anybody know if he was found by hikers on the AT near Slaughter Gap or near the Freeman Trail?You found more details in the story than I could... The shelter mentioned was most probably at Vogel State Park, downhill from the crash site. The closest AT shelter is Blood Mtn.
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Plane crashes in Union County
Woman's body found today amid wreckage
By BILL MONTGOMERY
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Published on: 11/28/05
The body thought to be that of a Tattnall County woman missing from a small plane crash was found today amid wreckage strewn on the side of a north Georgia mountain.
Pilot Randy W. Hackle, 56, from Cobbtown, in southeast Georgia, was found walking near the crash site this morning. Searchers in the area of Slaughter Mountain, just north of Vogel State Park in Union County, found a woman's body at the crash site, but would not confirm an identity.
However, family members and co-workers said Monday before the body was found that searchers were looking for Barbara Hackle, 52, the pilot's wife.
"The only prayer we have is that they find her safe," said Hackle's neice Jeanne Lively, before the body was found.
In 1996, Hackle had worked as a switchboard operator at Candler County Hospital. Mike Alexander, the hospital's CEO, said Hackle was "a good employee, real friendly."
"This is just one of those terrible horrible things that happen to people," he said.
The aircraft, a 1966 two-seater Piper 140, was found in pieces by a Georgia Department of Natural Resources search team roughly 1.2 miles north of Vogel State Park around 10:40 a.m., said DNR spokeswoman Kim Hatcher.
"The airplane was not intact, and there appears to have been some sort of fire or explosion," Hatcher said shortly before 2 p.m. today
"We don't know what caused the plane to crash," she added.
Hatcher would not confirm the identify of the victim, saying the woman's family has yet to be notified of the death.
Matt Griffin of the DNR said the pilot "was able to walk away, apparently, though I don't know the extent of his injuries. He wasn't really sure what happened to his wife. He was disoriented, and may have a concussion.
"We understand he spent the night in a shelter, [after the crash] but I don't have any more details."
Randy Hackle was taken to Gainesville Medical Center in Hall County.
"There was no report of any engine trouble, or a distress call," Griffin said. DNR, U.S. Forest Service rangers and Union County search and rescue units searched "about a two-mile area of pretty rough country," said Griffin.
-- Staff writer Cameron McWhirter contributed to this article.
what i heard from locals is that the plane crashed pretty much on the Coosa Backcountry Trail. not sure exactly where on the trail but possibly near the intersection with the Duncan Ridge Trail.
Dances with Mice
11-30-2005, 14:40
what i heard from locals is that the plane crashed pretty much on the Coosa Backcountry Trail. not sure exactly where on the trail but possibly near the intersection with the Duncan Ridge Trail. I don't doubt them. But that would be Coosa Bald rather than Slaughter Mtn, wouldn't it? Since all the places mentioned in the story are SOUTH of Vogel St Park rather than north, I wouldn't be surprised if they got the mountain wrong too.
1.2 miles north of Vogel would mean the plane crashed into Goose Creek Cabins.
I don't doubt them. But that would be Coosa Bald rather than Slaughter Mtn, wouldn't it? Since all the places mentioned in the story are SOUTH of Vogel St Park rather than north, I wouldn't be surprised if they got the mountain wrong too.
1.2 miles north of Vogel would mean the plane crashed into Goose Creek Cabins.
you're exactly right, that would be Coosa Bald. i think the wreckage is on the NW side of Coosa Bald, which would make sense if the plane took off in Murphy NC. I'll find out tonight for sure (poker night).
you're exactly right, that would be Coosa Bald. i think the wreckage is on the NW side of Coosa Bald, which would make sense if the plane took off in Murphy NC. I'll find out tonight for sure (poker night).
oops. i looked at my map. the coosa backcountry intersects the duncan ridge on the NE side of Coosa Bald and then Slaughter Mountain is about 3 miles east on the duncan ridge from there. Slaughter Mountain is much closer to Mountain Crossings at Neel Gap than it is to Vogel State Park for sure.
Dances with Mice
11-30-2005, 16:22
oops. i looked at my map. the coosa backcountry intersects the duncan ridge on the NE side of Coosa Bald and then Slaughter Mountain is about 3 miles east on the duncan ridge from there. Slaughter Mountain is much closer to Mountain Crossings at Neel Gap than it is to Vogel State Park for sure.And all are south of Vogel, exactly opposite what the story reported.
RockyTrail
11-30-2005, 16:53
A mile north or a mile south?
I've flown the same path many times in similar craft and a finding the crash site a mile north of Vogel makes some degree of sense.
Here's why; when flying southbound from Murphy (their takeoff point), the Hwy 19/Vogel State Park route is much safer than directly traversing the mountains to either side. You want to take the path that has the most emergency landing sites nearby in case of engine failure. Along this route there is reachable open farmland within gliding distance on all but maybe the middle 10 minutes of this route. Vogel state park and its lake sits up in a "saddle" right before you cross the ridge. They were headed southbound, and if you make it to a mile past Vogel you are virtually on top of Neels Gap and likely could have glided down the far side to safety or at least to the multi-lane highway at DeSoto Falls. However, if you don't make it over the pass, your only option is to turn around immediately and this manuver can be deadly without enough extra altitude to play with. So a SOBO crash would probably happen north of Vogel, or maybe ditch it in the lake, it's better than impacting trees. Keeping plenty of extra altitude can reduce the risk greatly.
There's always a pucker factor when flying up over a pass; and also a HUGE sigh of relief when you finally do cross the ridge and can glide down to safety if necessary. It situations like this it's easy to imagine strange knocking sounds coming from the engine when there really are none (it's called "auto-rough" ;-) but you just concentrate and sweat it out:) mind over machine. I can't imagine the horror of it being for real, if that's what happened.
Sorry, that's probably more than you wanted to know, but I really feel for these folks as they likely had everything go wrong right exactly at the point they couldn't afford it.
info from someone whose seen the crash site. the airplane has already been taken out and the site is near the intersection of the Coosa Backcountry Trail and the Bare Hare Trail. Big noticable burnt spot of earth can be seen from the Coosa.
Skidsteer
12-01-2005, 18:35
info from someone whose seen the crash site. the airplane has already been taken out and the site is near the intersection of the Coosa Backcountry Trail and the Bare Hare Trail. Big noticable burnt spot of earth can be seen from the Coosa.
General,
Are those two trails currently closed by "authorities"? Sounds like an interesting day hike for the weekend.
Dances with Mice
12-01-2005, 20:18
info from someone whose seen the crash site. the airplane has already been taken out and the site is near the intersection of the Coosa Backcountry Trail and the Bare Hare Trail. Big noticable burnt spot of earth can be seen from the Coosa.Bear Hair Trail. That intersection would be at this sign in the geologic Slaughter Gap (vs. the Slaughter Gap campsite area on the AT further south).
http://www.whiteblaze.net/forum/vbg/showimage.php?i=7052&original=1&c=665&userid=1030
halibut15
12-02-2005, 09:24
Actually, there are two intersections of the Bear Hair and Coosa Backcountry trails around Vogel, although the one closest to Slaughter Mountain (2nd one you come to hiking either trail counterclockwise) seems the most logical. Also, coming back into the park on the combined trails, you come near what looks to be like a old (or still used as part of the park) picnic shelter way back in the woods from the main body of the state park. I wonder if this is the shelter he spent the night in. It would settle the issue of there not being any AT shelters nearby, and would put him right in the vicinity of the campground.
General,
Are those two trails currently closed by "authorities"? Sounds like an interesting day hike for the weekend.
all near by trails were closed for a couple of days. they are open now however. a friend of mine bushwacked into the crash site on tuesday or early wednesday, and the wreckage was already gone. he said that there was a noticeable burnt spot off to the left of the coosa, in a swithcback, after passing the Bear Hair, but i'm not sure which way he was heading after he hooked up with the coosa backcountry trail. according to his description i'm pretty sure he was headed for the duncan ridge trail. i'm gonna try to check it out for myself on saturday.
Actually, there are two intersections of the Bear Hair and Coosa Backcountry trails around Vogel, although the one closest to Slaughter Mountain (2nd one you come to hiking either trail counterclockwise) seems the most logical. Also, coming back into the park on the combined trails, you come near what looks to be like a old (or still used as part of the park) picnic shelter way back in the woods from the main body of the state park. I wonder if this is the shelter he spent the night in. It would settle the issue of there not being any AT shelters nearby, and would put him right in the vicinity of the campground.
sounds like a damn good theory on that shelter.