Navy Plane Crashes into Building at Coast Guard Air Station Elizabeth City, July 31, 1974

For our Friday history, let’s head over to Pasquotank County and Coast Guard Air Station Elizabeth City on July 31, 1974, when Navy radar plane crashed into a building, killing the pilot and three civilian workers inside. Two others aboard the plane survived with injuries, along with 12 others, including several firefighters. On that Wednesday …

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Car Strikes Jet on Ground in Winston-Salem – May 24, 1967

Winston-Salem history hit. Before it crashed after a midair collision over Hendersonville, NC, on July 19, 1967, the first passenger jet operated by Piedmont Airlines had an unusual accident on the ground in May 1967. The airline had recently started jet service from their base at Smith Reynolds Airport. However, their hangar was located on …

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Piedmont Flight 22 and the Midair Collision Over Hendersonville – July 19, 1967

Read retrospective and research notes from 2017 (103M, PDF) See other photos, clippings, and the NTSB report in this Google Drive folder. Introduction Looking back at the deadliest plane crash in North Carolina history, when 82 people were killed on Wednesday, July 19, 1967, after Piedmont Flight 22 collided with a Cessna 310 and both …

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Navy Jet Crash in Hertford – February 21, 1957

This is a blog version of a Facebook posting on June 15, 2025. Looking back at the close call of all close calls, when a Navy jet fighter crashed within 200 yards of Perquimans County High School in Hertford, NC, on the morning of February 21, 1957. Two people were killed and a third person …

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Asheville-Henderson Army Airfield Fire Department

Morning airport history. From Western North Carolina, top left is a crash truck at Asheville-Henderson Army Airfield, a former airport that was located in Fletcher. Today, it’s the site of an industrial park. AHAA opened as a civilian airfield in 1938 and was operated by the Army from 1943 to 1947. By the late 1950s, …

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Forsyth County Fire Department History

This posting was last updated in July 2024, with added history of county rural fire protection before 1951. Introduction This posting originated as a Facebook posting in August 2020. Before 1951 – Part 1 In June 1945, county commissioners appointed George Sheek as Forsyth County Fire Chief. He was notably placed in charge of a …

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Wilmington Airport Apparatus History

This is a blog version of a Facebook posting. Presenting fire apparatus past and present that have served at Wilmington International Airport.  1954 ALF Type O-11A – 500/1000/100/80 Likely serial #54L210, which was former NCANG Included 80 gallons Chlorobromomethane Possibly sold at auction, along with second 1954 ALF crash truck, at surplus airport property sale …

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New CFR 2 at Raleigh-Durham International Airport

On Tuesday afternoon, May 2, 2023, new CFR 2 was placed in service at Raleigh-Durham International Airport (RDU). The 2022 Oshkosh Global Striker 3000, 2000/3000/420/550# was delivered in March. See gallery of Legeros pics. It replaces a 2000 Oshkosh TI-1500, 1500/210/450#, which will be placed in reserve service as CFR 5. It’ll be the airport’s …

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Charlotte Airport Fire History

Let’s build a history of airport fire protection in Charlotte.  Update, February 24, 2023. Migrated to PDF format.  See this document: https://legeros.com/history/charlotte/charlotte-airport-fire-history.pdf  See also this fleet roster: https://legeros.com/history/fleets/charlotte-airport.pdf See also this infographic on early NCANG ARFF rigs: https://legeros.com/history/charts/content/ncang-crash-trucks.pdf 

Eastern Air Lines Flight 212 Crash in Charlotte

This is an expanded version of a Facebook posting on November 24, 2022, and a blogs archive posting (PDF) from April 8, 2010. Courtesy of the Don Sturkey Photographic Materials (P0070), North Carolina Collection, UNC-Chapel Hill Library, from Fatal Distraction by Philip Gerard in Our State magazine. Contents Introduction Timeline Charlotte Fire Department Narrative Introduction On …

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