Incident Name:
Date: 3/27/1979, 1715 hrs
Personnel: Charles”Chuck” Colton
Age: 44 years
Agency/Organization: North Carolina Division of Forestry (NCDFR)
Position: lead plane pilot
Summary: Lead plane/spotter plane Pilot Chuck Colton died on March 27, 1979 when the Cessna 305A, Leadplane 17, he was flying impacted the ground.
Maps
about 10.5 mi SW of Fair Bluff NC; 7 mi SW of Sierra Gorde,
{mosmap lat=’34.212227’|lon=’-78.884248’|marker=’0’|text=’Approximate Crash Location’}
Another account from NC Fallen Firefighters website: legeros.com/history/fallen/: North Carolina Division of Forest Resources pilot Charles Colton died on March 27, 1979, when his single-engine Cessna L19 crashed about two miles west of Fair Bluff in Columbus County during low-altitude flying.
Reports, Documentation, Lessons Learned
- Concise Information from the NTSB, FAA, AAP and research by the WLF Staff:
- 3/27/1979, 1715 hrs, Leadplane 17
- 1 killed, Charles “Chuck” Colton
- Operator: North Carolina Division of Forestry
- Type: CESSNA 305A
- Location: about 10.5 mi SW of Fair Bluff NC (departure point Whiteville NC).
- FAA Registration # N3FS
- NTSB # IAD79FA041
- National Transportation Safety Board: Probable Cause (html)Controlled collision with ground. The pilot in command – failed to follow approved procedures, directives, etc; pilot-in-command misjudged altitude and clearance. Remarks – witnesses observed the aircraft fall off on wing and enter steep dive during low altitude acrobatic maneuver
- NTSB brief:
- For more information consult the NTSB online lookup Utility Use NTSB Identification: # IAD79FA041
- NCFFF Honored for his death on that date: Charles C Colton
- AAP has Charles Colton listed as a B17 pilot but he died while flying a Cessna 305A lead/spotter plane.
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Wildlandfire.com Links:
Media Articles and Reports
- Chuck Colton named as fallen
Photos, Videos, & Tributes
Contributors to this article: Mellie
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