Norseman Crash

I made a 4th visit up to the crash site. The following is a summary of what I had learned since my last visit: (Note: All of the information I have gathered to date is either from locals who heard about the crash, or from folks that heard details from relatives or another party. I have not come across anyone who personally witnessed or remembers the events well enough to provide details. Several folks who may have been able to provide information have passed on in recent years. There are conflicting details in the stories that I've heard, including date of the incident, aircraft ownership, potential casualties, etc. To date, I still have found no written or online documentation of the airplane crash. Thus, the following is just the "gist" of what may have happened...) "Sometime in the early 1950s * , T.J. Crane, who lived off Bell Creek, heard an airplane crash up on the nearby mountain. He told folks, but no one else had heard anything, and no action was taken. Sometime later (days/weeks?), word arrived about a missing aircraft. Two men were in town investigating; they were put in touch with Mr. Crane, who led them up the mountain, where they eventually located the crash. The pilot was found dead in the aircraft * * . Sometime later, R.L Anderson, a logger from nearby Shooting Creek (later of Scataway Rd), traveled up the mountain with horses and a logging sled to salvage the engine (and possibly other salvageable major components which are no longer at the crash site)." * The first person relating this story thought the crash had occurred in the late '40s. The second commentator, also living off Bell Creek, was born in 1949, and stated that it happened when he was a young boy of about 7 (so circa 1955-56). This date is more in line with the last servicing date stamped on the aircraft's fire extinguisher bottle. Jimmy Davenport from Clay Co, NC, visited the site sometime after the crash (mid '50s). He had heard about the incident, and had looked unsuccessfully several times, but eventually found it. At the time of his visit, the aircraft was only half burned, and much of the wood & fabric remained, although in deteriorating condition. The salvage operation previously mentioned had already occurred. * * I have heard three versions of the pilot's fate - 1) as stated above, the pilot was killed in the crash; 2) Jimmy Davenport stated that, at the time, the rumor was that the pilot had ejected from the aircraft and survived; 3) per Dion Eller, Ed Berrong was told by the Andersons that two men had survived the crash and made their way down Bell Creek to safety. This version of the story was essentially corroborated by Morris Phillips, who also recalled the date as being in the late 1940s. In 2019, I reviewed copies of the weekly Towns County Herad, archived at the Towns Co. courthouse and Young Harris College. I could find no references to this aircraft crash.

I passed some nice moss-covered cliffs on the way to the site...

Continuing up, I hit the bottom of the cloud layer. Lots of tangled vines here, the diameter of a person's leg!
This was my first non-sunny day at the site, so I took a few shots to show the fuselage without shadows.

Fuselage from the bottom

Head-on view, aircraft resting on starboard (right) side

View toward the top of the aircraft

Main fire extiguisher bottle

Fire Suppresion system, from the Parts Manual

Cylinder Bottle Stamping (above & below): ICC-3A1800 K19664V US GOVT {H} WK&CO NONSHATTERABLE



Original firex bottle servicing date: April 1944

Is this 10 55 another date (October 1955)? Maybe the last firex bottle servicing date, or when it was due for servicing(?) From everything that locals tell me, this incident occurred well prior to 1955. Also, note valve number as specified in Manual below:



Unknown pump or motor housing?

Engine control countershaft bracket (broken)

Several views of a damaged rocker assembly from an engine cylinder head Thanks to Nick Wotherspoon for the ID on this assy!



Safety wiring is still present on two of the bolts

Rocker assemblies can be seen at right side in this photo of a Norseman engine.

A similar modern engine, showing a clearer view of the two rocker assemblies on each cylinder head.

Unknown component

Unknown component

Melted component with receptacles for DZUS quarter-turn fasteners. Possibly for securing engine cowling, or a removable door assy.

Unknown instrument back

Unknown instrument back, reverse

Round cap(?)

Unknown component Likely a wing or control surface fitting of some sort, since it has a wing tie rod plate bolted to one of the arms...

Unknown component, reverse Continued on "Norseman Crash - 6" page. {Link below}

You are viewing the "Norseman Crash - 5" page. See additional pages covering the Norseman crash site:
Initial Discovery
Norseman Crash - 1	Norseman Crash - 2	Norseman Crash - 3	Norseman Crash - 4
Norseman Crash - 5	Norseman Crash - 6	Norseman Crash - 7

Norseman Index	S. Nantahala Index
Hiawassee Index	NE GA - NC Index