5/3/14 Stoppel Point Second Plane Crash Site

[Rivet]

Went out to find the second plane crash site near Stoppel Point (i.e. not the one near the Escarpment Trail). I found only a vague description of the location on the Internet:

Information from Daniel Ginsburg:

There is another crash near Stoppel Point. This one claimed 6 lives and occurred on December 15th, 1989. A Piper Navajo (aircraft registration # N45CH), piloted by Timothy Burns was headed from Glens Falls to Montgomery, NY, heading down the Hudson, when he hit the front edge of the first big snowstorm of the season encountering blizzard conditions (just after dark) and continuing VFR flight while veering too close to the west and slamming into the northeast side of Stoppel Point at 2800 feet. The crash is accessible from below via Winter Clove, but is a very strenuous climb around boulders and very steep cliffs of the escarpment. It is one of the most difficult bushwhacks I have ever undertaken. I visited and photographed this site in May of 1994.
Although I attempted originally to reach the crash site from above from both ends of Stoppel Point, this proved too treacherous. I returned and eventually found a better way up via Winter Clove (northeast of Stoppel Point). I followed the stream up past the waterfall and then traversed to the north at about 2,800 feet after spending much time getting around boulders and cliffs on terrain at a 45 degree incline. The recovery operation must have been amazing (I was told by rangers years ago that a team of state troopers and DEC rangers went in after this (fatal) major snowstorm to recover all 6 bodies from the wreckage, and they had to winter camp overnight after roping down from above).

This is from the accident report:

Date: 15-DEC-1989
Time: 1738
Type: Piper PA-31-350 Chieftain
Owner/operator: Aero-Venture
Registration: N45CH
C/n / msn: 31-7852002
Fatalities: Fatalities: 6 / Occupants: 6
Other fatalities: 0
Airplane damage: Written off (damaged beyond repair)
Location: Cairo Township , NY - United States of America
Phase: En route
Nature: Executive
Departure airport: Glens Falls, NY (GFL)
Destination airport: Montgomery, NY (MGJ)
Narrative:
DURING A PRE-FLIGHT WEATHER BRIEFING, THE INSTRUMENT RATED PILOT WAS TOLD BY THE AFSS SPECIALIST THAT MARGINAL VFR AND IFR CONDIITONS WOULD PREVAIL ALONG THE ROUTE OF FLIGHT. THE PILOT DID NOT FILE A FLIGHT PLAN. THE AIRPLANE WAS LAST DEPICTED ON RADAR AT 2500 FEET MSL AND HEADING TOWARDS HIGH TERRAIN. A NY STATE TROOPER LEAVING HIS OFFICE ABOUT THE TIME THE ACCIDENT OCCURRED STATED SNOW WAS FALLING VERY HARD AND VISIBILITY WAS LOW. THE STATE TROOPER'S OFFICE WAS ABOUT 5 MILES FROM THE CRASH SITE. THE AIRPLANE HIT A 3400 FOOT MOUNTAIN AT AN ELEVATION OF 2500 FEET. THE AIRPLANE WAS MISSING 4 DAYS AND WAS FOUND BY THE CREW OF A NY STATE POLICE HELICOPTER. CAUSE: THE PILOT'S DECISION TO FLY INTO THE KNOWN ADVERSE WEATHER AND HIS FAILURE TO SELECT AN ALTITUDE THAT WOULD PROVIDE TERRAIN CLEARANCE. FACTORS WERE: THE ADVERSE WEATHER AND THE PILOT'S DISREGARD FOR THE FORECASTED CONDITIONS.

So, I knew the plane was at (or around) 2800 elevation feet, and on the northeast side of Stoppel Point. The safest route would be starting from below. I parked at the end of Storks Nest Road and headed up the yellow marked Dutcher Notch trail. After about a mile, as the trail turned right, I left the trail and headed south. Eventually I reached the Countryman Kill and picked up a logging road which I followed for a bit. I kept climbing up to the northern ridge of Stoppel Point. Then, I traversed the hillside at around 2900 ft elevation. It was slow going at this point as the footing was tricky, but there were no terrible ledges or anything. I continued for about 1/2 mile. Then, luckily, something caught my eye ahead of me and down below about 25 yards. It looked blueish and not natural .... maybe it's a wing. I dropped down to investigate, and sure enough I had found the crash site. There was debris scattered in a small area along the steep hillside. I took a break and then headed down by following the creek which eventually becomes Winter Clove creek. After a while, I picked up the Winter Clove trail that I followed down to the covered bridge. Then, I headed over to the Yankee Smith trail which brought me back to the Countryman Kill. I checked out a few waterfalls before heading back to the Dutcher Notch Trail, and then finally my car. Bugs were around in the morning, but didn't become too annoying until the afternoon (and not really terrible). Luckily, the rain held off during the entire trek.

pictures
https://picasaweb.google.com/1101796538 ... directlink

[mike]

Great trip report. Rich and I have talked about searching for the plane for quite some time. The information I had was that it was slightly northeast of Stoppel Pt at about 2800'. Turns out that it is 1/2 mile southeast of Stoppel Pt. Nice find!!! I think that many people have been looking for it in the wrong place.

there is also a trail that runs down the ridge off Stoppel Point. It is a beautiful trail with great views over Winter Clove Valley.

Did you get a GPS position of the plane wreak?

[Rivet]

Great trip report. Rich and I have talked about searching for the plane for quite some time. The information I had was that it was slightly northeast of Stoppel Pt at about 2800'. Turns out that it is 1/2 mile southeast of Stoppel Pt. Nice find!!! I think that many people have been looking for it in the wrong place.

I figured it was on the east side of the ridge that runs north/south since he had come up from WInterclove. I actually thought it would be higher up the mountain and closer to the cliffs by the description of the terrain. I mean it was a steep area (probably around a 45 degree slope), but there were no ledges or giant boulders to contend with.

there is also a trail that runs down the ridge off Stoppel Point. It is a beautiful trail with great views over Winter Clove Valley.

I could see the cliffs off in the distance on the ridge, and thought about bushwacking over there. I also thought about trying to climb up to Stoppel Point via the ridge and then heading down the trail. In the end, I thought it would be safer to descend. I saw the sign for Little Stopple point at one of the trail junctions. I didn't have a map with me for the Winter Clove trails, but I vaguely remembered your report about the trail over to Countryman Kill.

Did you get a GPS position of the plane wreak?

My Garmin GPS (which is ancient) was having trouble getting sat lock a lot of the time. But, I did get a couple of points which I averaged. Should be in the ballpark.

https://www.google.com/maps/place/42%C2 ... !1s0x0:0x0

[Rivet]

I found some more information:

Windham Journal - issue of Thursday, December 21, 1989, page 1:

Downed plane found in Jewett, bodies recovered

A two engine Piper Navajo plane missing for four days was found Tuesday, December 19, at 2:15 p.m. by a New York state helicopter assigned to the lost plane search in Greene county. The wreckage was spotted by the helicopter on the Black Head Mountain in East Jewett. Due to the rugged terrain of the area it was impossible to get to the location other than with a person being dropped by helicopter as close as possible to the scene.

U.S. Air Force Rescue Team member[s] from the 106 Air Station Guard in Westhampton went to the scene and determined that it was the plane, but that it did not appear to be any sign of life.

On Wednesday morning, as the W.J. is going to press, recovery details are recovering the bodies of the pilot and the five passengers who after attending a business meeting in Glens Falls last Friday were on their way to Montgomery.

The pilot was Timothy Burns, 27, Allentown, N.J.; the five passengers were Salvatore Arlotta, Jr., 42, Wallkill; Peter Lovi, 33, Pine Bush, both employees of the Wehran Engineering environmental consulting firm in Middletown; Ronald D. Pacchiana, 56, Pound Ridge, president of Briar Contracting and owner of Unicorn Industries, Ltd., both in Peekskill; Attorney Michael J. Trainor, 45, New York City and Timothy P. Burns, 44, Yonkers.

Their plane disappeared from radar screens Friday evening about 30 miles south of Albany, it was reported. Radar put the plane at an altitude of 2,300 feet when it disappeared. Blackhead Mountain, Black Dome and Thomas Cole mountains are more than 3,900 ft high. The area in East Jewett/Maplecrest had received about 8 inches of snow since Friday.

More than 20 aircraft searched a 5,000 square mile area in the Catskills and the Hudson Valley on Tuesday.

[Rivet]

And another news article:

PLANE, BODIES FOUND IN NORTHERN CATSKILLS
Kenneth C. Crowe II Staff writer
Section: LOCAL, Page: B1
Date: Wednesday, December 20, 1989

The wreckage of a twin-engine airplane containing the bodies of two of its six passengers was found on a remote ridge in the Catskills Tuesday afternoon by a State Police helicopter on the fourth day of a search.

The downed airplane was spotted at 2:15 p.m. between Stopple Point and North Mountain in this Greene County town's Black Head Mountain range, State Police at Catskill said. There were no survivors, they said. Members of a U.S. Air Force rescue team from the state Air National Guard in Westhampton, Suffolk County, were dropped about a quarter-mile away from the crash site and hiked through an area of icy, snow-covered ledges to the Piper Navajo, troopers said.

State Police and volunteers looked up from the nearest road, about four miles to the north in Round Top, a hamlet in the town of Cairo, while helicopters hovered over the ridge, which is 2,700 feet to 3,250 feet high. It is not far from the Catskill Game Farm in the town of Catskill.

At about 4:32 p.m., the rescue team identified the airplane as the missing craft owned by Aero Venture Inc. of New Jersey and confirmed that they had discovered two bodies, according to radio transmissions. They removed construction documents from the smashed, tan airplane, whose blue tail was jutting out of the snow.

Troopers said the documents were used to confirm the identity of the aircraft. The names of the five passengers and the pilot have not yet been released by State Police.

However, Wehran Engineering of Middletown, which employs two of the passengers, identified them as Salvatore Arlotta of Middletown and Peter Lovi of Pine Bush, Orange County.

The Associated Press reported that Dick Mann, a spokesman for Briar Contracting, a company owned by one of the passengers, identified those aboard as:

*Ronald D. Pacchiana, 56, of Pound Ridge, Westchester County, president of Briar Contracting and owner of Unicorn Industries Ltd., both in Peekskill, Westchester County.

*Michael J. Trainor, 45, of New City, Rockland County, an attorney with Bleakley Platt & Schmidt of White Plains, Westchester County.

*The pilot, Timothy Burns, 27, of Allentown, N.J.

*Timothy P. Burns, 44, of Yonkers. He is not related to the pilot, Mann said.

A team of troopers led by local residents familar with the mountains are to head to the crash location this morning.

The troopers will retrieve the two bodies and search for the other four.

"You just don't go in at this hour of the day," Zone Sgt. B.S. O'Connor said Tuesday in Round Top. "We'll get in tomorrow unless the weather socks us in."

At least an inch of snow was expected to fall on the crash site overnight.

"It's all ledges up there. Icy covered with snow," said Jon Powell, 35, of Round Top, who grew up hunting in the Black Head Mountains and will guide the troopers.

Powell said it would take about two hours to climb down the top of the mountains to reach the crashed airplane. He described the area through which they would pass as having a line of ledges like a series of steep steps. He said it could take as long as five hours to carry the bodies out.

The hunt for the crashed airplane began Saturday after residents reported hearing the roar of an aircraft Friday evening. The search was hampered by blowing snow, which cut visibility.

The airplane was en route Friday from the Warren County Airport, about 50 miles north of Albany, to the Orange County Airport. It was last heard from between 5:30 and 6 p.m. about 30 miles south of the Albany County Airport.

[mtnclimber]

I too had heard that it was just north of Stoppel Point. I guess we got that straighten out. It looks like it would easier to approach from the top of the plateau just above Little Stoppel Point. Nice find.

[rkugel]

Great trip report and awesome pictures!!! You saw something that not many hikers have been fortunate to find and see for themselves. As Mike noted, we've been "kicking the idea around" of trying to find the wreck. Now that we have a much better idea where it is, it may be much more within reach.

I'm wondering if it would be easier to spot a car at Storks Nest Road, and then park a second car at North/South Lake, hike to Stoppel Point, and then work our way down to the crash site and ultimately to the the first car spotted at Storks Nest. Any thoughts?

Once again, thank you for sharing your experience and photos. Wow!

[Rivet]

Great trip report and awesome pictures!!! You saw something that not many hikers have been fortunate to find and see for themselves. As Mike noted, we've been "kicking the idea around" of trying to find the wreck. Now that we have a much better idea where it is, it may be much more within reach.

I'm wondering if it would be easier to spot a car at Storks Nest Road, and then park a second car at North/South Lake, hike to Stoppel Point, and then work our way down to the crash site and ultimately to the the first car spotted at Storks Nest. Any thoughts?

Once again, thank you for sharing your experience and photos. Wow!

Thanks. The easiest approach would probably be starting from or ending at Winter Clove.

[mike]

Easiest way would be from Winter Clove Inn. I would probably hike up to Winter Clove Falls, and then hike northwest until I got just south of Stoppel Point and then hike south at 2800'. Then I would come back down near Little Stoppel Point, and then back to Winter Clove Inn.

It's really nice that we have a better idea of where it is.

[rkugel]

Mike and Rivet,

Agreed that starting at Winter Clove would be better. I was still thinking that the wreck site was northeast of Stoppel Point and not southeast. Definitely worth a trip one of these days. I would think it would be preferable in the early spring or late fall when the leaves are down (making the wreck easier to spot) and when there is no snow to contend with.

Rich