| legeros.com > History > Aviation > RDU Air Crashes > Summary List |
Last updated November 5, 2019
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Criteria for inclusion:
Most hard landings, belly landings, roadway landings, and gear collapse landings excluded.
See also:
| Date | Location | Time |
Airport Name |
Proximity to Airport | Fatal | Injured | Make | Model | NTSB Report? |
Notes |
| 8/26/1925 | Coats | Fatal(1) | No | |||||||
| 1/11/1929 | Raleigh | Poindexter Field | Fatal(1) | Airstrip outside city. Raleigh FD responds. First fatal plane crash in Raleigh. | ||||||
| 2/10/1929 | Harnett County | 4:30 p.m. | Fatal(1) | (1) | Curtis | Crashed at farm between Erwin and Dunn. | ||||
| 12/25/1929 | Angier | Fatal(2) | Exact location TBD. | |||||||
| 2/12/1940 | Raleigh | Raleigh Municipal | Fatal(2) | Fairchild | 24 | Crashes 300 yards south of airport. | ||||
| 11/10/1941 | Raleigh | Raleigh Municipal | Fatal(1) | (1) | Douglas | A-24 | No Army |
Crashes on approach to airport, lands in middle of tent encampment. | ||
| 8/9/1942 | Raleigh | Raleigh Municipal | Fatal(3) | (5) | B-26B bomber | No Army |
Twin-engine bomber crashes at end of runway after take-off. | |||
| 10/29/1943 | Raleigh | Fatal(2) | L-5 | No Army |
Pair of pursuit planes crash on Garner highway, about three miles south of airport. Raleigh FD responds. | |||||
| 5/9/1944 | Raleigh | Fatal(2) | B-17 Bomber | No Army |
Crashes into woods, five miles se of Raleigh. Raleigh FD responds. | |||||
| 12/13/1944 | Raleigh | Fatal (1 or more) | B-25C | Army Air Force. | ||||||
| 1/15/1947 | Wake Forest | Fatal(4) | Light plane crashes into woods five miles west of wake forest. Raleigh FD responds. | |||||||
| 6/1/1947 | Raleigh | O'Neal Flying Service Field | Fatal(2) | Light plane crashes during air show at airfield, located two miles north of Raleigh. | ||||||
| 10/19/1950 | Fuquay Springs | Fatal (1) | TF-51H | Air Force. | ||||||
| 4/1/1951 | Raleigh-Durham | Raleigh-Durham | Saber | Air Force fighter belly landing on runway after engine failure. | ||||||
| 1/2/1953 | Morrisville | ~10:41 p.m. | Raleigh-Durham | Near airport | Fatal(3) | (1) | C-47 Transport | No Army |
Crashes at Crabtree Creek State Park (Umstead State Park) while attempting emergency landing. One survivor, who walks to airport and arrives at Eastern Airlines office at 1:00 a.m. | |
| 1/7/1956 | Chapel Hill | Horace Williams | .5 miles from airport | Fatal (1) | (1) | T-33-A | Air Force training jet. | |||
| 8/1/1964 | Raleigh | 11:00 a.m. | Raleigh Municipal | On property | Fatal(1) | (1) | Piper | J4fF | Yes | Crashes after taking off. |
| 2/21/1965 | RDU | RDU | Light plane crashes on take-off. Four occupants escape injury, walk about a mile to runway, and flag down a United Airlines plane about to take off. | |||||||
| 2/25/1965 | Morrisville | ~10:45 p.m. | Raleigh-Durham | .5 miles from airport | Fatal(5) | Cessna | 82 | Yes | Crashes into middle of 55-acre lake at Umstead State Park south of airport. Plane found submerged except for portion of tail. | |
| 6/27/1965 | Raleigh-Durham | Raleigh-Durham | On property? | Fatal(1) | Bensen | B8M | Yes | One-person rotocraft. Crashes during third day of popular rotocraft association fly-in. | ||
| 10/22/1966 | Morrisville | ~11:30 a.m | Raleigh-Durham | On property | Fatal(1) | Bensen | B8M | Yes | One-person rotocraft. Crashes at end of runway. | |
| 5/10/1967 | Orange County | 12:20 p.m. | Fatal (2) | T-28 | Military training plane. | |||||
| 5/10/1967 | Chapel Hill | Horace Williams | (3) | |||||||
| 4/24/1968 | Hillsborough | 1:15 a.m. | Fatal(1) | Cessna | 172 | Yes | Crashes at during low level flight, while trying to maintain visual ground contact. Alcohol impairment cited in NTSB report. | |||
| 12/17/1968 | Raleigh-Durham | 12:20 p.m. | Raleigh-Durham | On property, ~.5 miles from main terminal | Fatal(1) | (2) | Beech | D55 | Yes | Crashes at about while taking off, and lands about 2300 feet from end of runway. |
| 7/10/1969 | Clayton | 11:45 a.m. | Fatal(1) | Piper | J3C-65 | Yes | Crashes at in an open field and burns, while spraying crops. | |||
| 9/16/1969 | Wake Forest | 7:07 a.m. | Fatal(1) | Piper | PA-23 | Yes | Crashes while on radar vector approach, destination Raleigh, strikes trees. | |||
| 11/29/1969 | Apex | 11:50 a.m. | Beckwith Airstrip | Fatal(1) | Piper | J3C | Yes | Crashed after experiencing engine failure on take-off. | ||
| 1/10/1970 | Benson | McLamb Airstrip | Within 0.25 mile | Fatal(3) | (1) | Cessna | 172K | Four aboard, one survivor. Alcohol impairment cited in report. | ||
| 4/2/1970 | Morrisville | Raleigh-Durham | Near airport | Fatal(5) | Cessna | 401A | Yes | Crashes south of Interstate 40 at night, while attempting landing in fog. Crash site found in morning. | ||
| 8/20/1970 | Garner | 5:30 p.m. | Raleigh Municipal | 4 miles from airport | Fatal(1) | Piper | PA-28 | Yes | Crashes after striking power lines. Unwarranted low flying cited in NTSB report. | |
| 8/29/1970 | Raleigh | 7:50 a.m. | Raleigh Municipal | near airport | (3) minor | Cessna | Cardinal | Crashes into two mobile homes at Mobile Home Brokers Inc. on US 70 east, after taking off at the airport. Garner FD responded. There was no fire. | ||
| 11/8/1970 | Bahama | 3:08 p.m. | Fatal(2) | Cessna | 150H | Yes | Crashes after striking power lines across a lake and sinking. Destination Raleigh from Kinston. Unwarranted low flying cited in NTSB report. | |||
| 11/28/1971 | Fuquay-Varina | Private airstrip | Fatal(1) | (2) | Piper | PA-28 | Three aboard, two survivors. | |||
| 12/4/1971 | Raleigh-Durham | 1:46 p.m. | Raleigh-Durham | Near airport | Fatal(2) | Cessna | 6 | Yes | Midair collision when DC-9 on final approach descends on top of Cessna, which crashes. Jet with 27 souls lands without incident. | |
| 12/4/1971 | Raleigh-Durham | Raleigh-Durham | Fatal(2) | Douglas | DC-9 | Yes | See above. Landed safely. | |||
| 4/13/1972 | Raleigh-Durham | Raleigh-Durham | (2) | Cessna | 182 | Crash lands on rural road, becomes entangled in power lines. | ||||
| 7/22?/1972 | Cary | 12:55 a.m. | Raleigh-Durham | (3) | Cessna | 180 | Crashes into the parking lot of a store, after running out of fuel and striking some high-voltage lines at about 12:55 a.m. Three aboard, with injuries. | |||
| 9/17/1974 | Raleigh | 4:02 p.m. | Raleigh-Durham | Fatal(2) | Piper | PA-28 | Yes | |||
| 1/5?/1975 | Morrisville | ~2:30 p.m. | Raleigh-Durham | (2) | Bellanca | Viking 300 | Crashes into wooded area about 50 feet off Highway 54, ends up about 200 feet from entrance to mobile home park. | |||
| 9/5/1975 | Holly Springs | 5:15 p.m. | Fatal(1) | Woods | WT-17 | Yes | Crashes after airframe failure in flight. Departed from Holly Springs for local flight. | |||
| 11/12/1975 | RDU | RDU | (8) | Boeing 727 crash lands short of runway. Eight injuries, one serious. | ||||||
| 6/19/1977 | Raleigh | Fatal(1) | Cessna | 150E | Yes | Crashes on Ridge Road after striking steeple of church. | ||||
| 2/13/1978 | Morrisville | 8:02 p.m. | Raleigh-Durham | Near airport | Fatal(4) | (2) | AeroCommander | 680FL | Yes | Crashes south of Interstate 40. Site found hours after disappearing from radar, and with hundreds of searchers including a Coast Guard helicopter. Two survivors. |
| 2/12/1980 | Raleigh-Durham | 8:02 p.m. | Raleigh-Durham | On property | Fatal(2) | Bellanca | 17-30A | Yes | Crashes at airport while practicing take-offs and landings. | |
| 2/7/1981 | Chapel Hill | 7:10 p.m. | Horace Williams | Over mile from airport | Fatal(7) | Cessna | 340A | Yes | Strikes trees while attempting landing. Wreckage found near house on Homestead Road, more than a mile N of airport. Six adults and one child aboard. Plane traveled 500 to 600 yards after striking the trees, before hitting the ground and turning over. | |
| 6/5/1981 | Chapel Hill | 8:20 a.m. | Horace Williams | Near airport | Fatal(1) | (3) | Piper | PA-22 | Yes | Crashes after take-off into thick forest, near a residence on Homestead Road. |
| 10/30/1981 | Chapel Hill | ~10:00 p.m. | Horace Williams | (1) | Piper | Comanche | Crashed into woods behind elementary school. | |||
| 3/18/1982 | Knightdale | 6:30 p.m. | Wendell-Knightdale | ~1.5 miles from airport | Fatal(2) | Bede Aircraft | BD-4 | Yes | Crashes on approach to airport, struck top of trees and crashed three miles from Knightdale, near rural unpaved road 2236. | |
| 7/25/1983 | Louisburg | 2:30 p.m. | Half mile from end of runway | Fatal(4) | Cessna | 182A | Yes | Crashes into trees after taking off. Craft was carrying jumpers for parachute club. Five aboard, one survivor. | ||
| 8/15/1983 | Fuquay Varina | Light plane loses power after taking off from South Raleigh Airport, "crashes into horse" when landing in a pasture. Horse killed. | ||||||||
| 9/25/1983 | Benson | 8:58 a.m. | Fatal(3) | Cessna | 1972 | Yes | Crashes after striking power lines. | |||
| 2/22/1985 | Morrisville | Raleigh-Durham | Near airport | Fatal(1) | McClellan J. Grote | Dragonfly | Yes | Experimental home-built plane, crashes shortly after takeoff at Umstead State Park. | ||
| 10/1/1985 | Chapel Hill | 3:20 p.m. | Hogan (09W) | At airstrip | Fatal(2) | Cessna | 172 | Yes | Crashes while landing at the private airstrip on Lake Hogan Farm. | |
| 7/24/1986 | Raleigh-Durham | 8:45 a.m. | Raleigh-Durham | Near airport | Fatal(2) | Piper | PA-60-600 | Yes | Crashes at Umstead State Park, after observed losing altitude immediately after taking off. | |
| 9/26/1986 | Apex | 4:45 p.m. | Deck Airpark | At airport | Fatal(1) | Piper | TG8-J3C-65 | Yes | Crashes into hangar, while practicing takeoffs and landings. | |
| 2/19/1988 | Raleigh-Durham | 9:27 p.m. | Raleigh-Durham | On property, ~3000 west of runway | Fatal(12) | Fairchild | SA227-AC | Yes | Commuter jet crashes shortly after take-off. Skimmed the surface of a reservoir and struck ground and trees. | |
| 5/25/1988 | Raleigh-Durham | ~9:13 p.m. | Raleigh-Durham | Near airport | Fatal(2) | Piper | PA-28R-200 | Yes | Piper and Cessna collide at 9:13 p.m. after departing airport for formation flight. Piper crashes, but Cesena lands with failed nose gear. | |
| 8/21/1988 | Pittsboro | 4:00 a.m. | Horace Williams | 12 miles from airport. | Fatal(1) | Piper | PA-32-300 | Yes | Alcohol cited as factor in NTSB report. | |
| 6/11/1989 | Garner | 7:17 a.m. | Fatal(3) | BalloonWorks | Firefly 8B | Yes | Balloon crashes after colliding with TV tower support cables on Highway 70. | |||
| 8/10/1989 | Wake Forest | 11:23 a.m. | Raleigh-Durham | ~10 miles from airport | Fatal(1) | Beech | E55 | Yes | Crashes into woods behind a house near intersection of NC 50 and NC 98, six minutes after taking off. | |
| 8/11/1989 | Chapel Hill | 9:18 p.m. | Horace Williams | Near airport | Fatal(1) | Beech | A-36 | Yes | Crashes while approaching airport. | |
| 12/7/1991 | Fuquay-Varina | 12:15 a.m. | Fatal(3) | Aerospatiale | AS350D Astar | Yes | News helicopter crashes while returning from reporting assignment. Crashed into open rural field off US 401. One survivor, injured, who walks half-mile through dense woods to get help. | |||
| 2/18/1992 | Raleigh | 10:52 p.m. | Raleigh-Durham | ~1 mile from airport | Fatal(2) | Piper | PA-28R-200 | Yes | Crashes on approach to airport, in wooded area about a half-mile behind car dealership at 9100 Glenwood Avenue. | |
| 3/1/1992 | Raleigh | Runaway hot air balloon crashes after getting tangled in traffic signal lines. No injuries. | ||||||||
| 4/17/1993 | RDU | RDU | DC-10 becomes stuck in mud on runway. | |||||||
| 12/11/1993 | Chapel Hill | 4:15 p.m. | Horace Williams | Near airport | Fatal(3) | Beech | M35 | Yes | Crashes near Finley Golf Course, minutes after taking off. Struck the ground and burned after attempting an emergency landing. Pilot had reported having engine problems. | |
| 9/28/1994 | Knightdale | 9:47 a.m. | Raleigh East (W17) | 2 miles from airport | Fatal(1) | Robinson | R-22B | Yes | Helicopter crashes into wooded area near airport. | |
| 12/13/1994 | Morrisville | ~6:40 p.m. | Raleigh-Durham | 3.5 SW of airport | Fatal(15) | British Aerospace | Jetstream 3201 | Yes | Commuter plane crashes into woods off Davis Drive, on final approach to airport. Responders uses tractors and off-road vehicles to reach site. Five survivors. More details | |
| 7/5/1995 | Raleigh-Durham | 4:20 a.m. | Raleigh-Durham | On property, ~.5 mile from NE end of 23L | Fatal(2) | Piper | PA-28R-200 | Yes | Crashes half-mile from runway, after diverted from Franklin County airport. | |
| 4/20/1997 | Apex | 12:00 p.m. | Fatal(2) | Boeing Stearman | N2S-4 | Yes | Crashes into Jordan Lake, about a mile north of Highway 64 bridge, in about 20 feet of water. | |||
| 12/24/1997 | Raleigh-Durham | 8:08 p.m. | Raleigh-Durham | On property, ~1.3 miles from geographic center | Fatal(1) | Cessna | 172M | Yes | Crashes into woods after take-off. Wreckage located at 11:18 p.m. | |
| 5/14/2000 | Apex | 1:15 p.m. | Cox airfield | Near airstrip | Fatal(2) | Mclarty | Vans RV-4 | Yes | Crashes after takeoff and struck ground and trees. | |
| 7/30/2000 | Smithfield | 1:55 p.m. | Johnston County | At airport | Fatal(2) | Leslie Briggs | GLASAIR III | Yes | Crashes after take-off. | |
| 7/31/2000 | Raleigh | 12:34 a.m. | Raleigh-Durham. | ~2.5 miles | Fatal(1) | DeHavilland | DHC-6-200 | Yes | Crashes near center of Umstead state park, while on approach. Wreckage discovered across Company Mill Road by Park Ranger who smelled jet fuel, at 3:28 a.m. | |
| 3/10/2001 | Durham County | Light plane crashes and lodges into tree about 50 feet from ground, near Interstate 85 and Falls Lake. Two aboard are injured in the 11:30 a.m. crash. | ||||||||
| 4/2/2001 | Smithfield | Johnston County |
At airport | Fatal(1) | Jacques J. Mistrot | Skybolt | Yes | First flight of experimental aircraft, crashes on take-off. | ||
| 12/12/2001 | Raleigh | 7:04 p.m. | Raleigh-Durham International | ~2 miles from airport | Fatal(3) | Piper | PA-46-350p | Yes | Crashes on approach and into house about 2 miles SE of airport. No injuries on ground. | |
| 3/31/2002 | Apex | 11:53 a.m. | Raleigh-Durham | Fatal(2) | Piper | PA-34-200t | Yes | Crashes at after experiencing in-flight break-up on approach to airport. | ||
| 3/26/2004 | RDU | RDU | F-18 | Navy F/18 Hornet explodes on take-off. Pilot safely ejects. Plane continues rolling and comes to rest about 250 feet from Terminal A. | ||||||
| 5/3/2004 | Cary | 3:20 p.m. | Raleigh-Durham | ~5 miles from airport | Fatal(2) | Mooney | M20M | Yes | Crashes into a lake near Brampton Moors apartments off W. Chatham Street, while on approach to RDU. Plane made two attempts to land, aborted, and then clipped trees before crashing into lake. Responders located the downed craft at 3:45 a.m. | |
| 5/5/2004 | Chatham/Lee County | ~ 8:30 p.m. | Fatal(2) | Apache | AH-64A | No National Guard |
Crashes near Buckhorn Dam on the county line The attack helicopter was not carrying any weapons. | |||
| 5/14/2004 | Louisburg | 3:10 p.m. | Louisburg | Fatal(1) | Hughes | 269A | Yes | Helicopter operated by Franklin County Sherriff's crashes , after colliding with trees shortly after taking off on a mission as part of an ongoing drug interdiction program. Two aboard, one survivor. | ||
| 5/16/2004 | Morrisville | 7:16 p.m. | Raleigh-Durham | At airport | Fatal(1) | Beech | A36 | Yes | Crashed near runway, on approach, after losing engine power and striking power lines. | |
| 7/17/2004 | Durham | 11:00 a.m. | Lake Ridge Aero Park (8NC8) | At airport. | Fatal(1) | Pitts | S-1 | Yes | Crashes while landing. | |
| 9/21/2007 | Clayton | 10:10 a.m. | Fatal(1) | North American | Navion | Yes | Crashes into a restaurant on Highway 70. NC USAR Task Force 8 activated to assist Clayton FD. | |||
| 6/14/2008 | Dunn | 6:30 a.m. | Private airstrip | At airstrip | Fatal(1) | Airborne | Edge | Yes | Crashes at on a go-around a private field. Pilot extricated from craft and transported to hospital, where he died. | |
| 7/12/2010 | Chapel Hill | 3:13 p.m. | Horace Williams Airport (LGX) | Fatal(1) | (2) | Cirrus | SR20 | Yes | Crashes at while landing, after striking trees after veering off runway. Three aboard, two survivors. | |
| 10/21/2014 | Bahama | 10:44 a.m. | Lake Ridge Aero Park (8NC8) | Near airport | Fatal(1) | Beech | D95A | Yes | Crashes at after take-off. Two aboard, one survivor with serious injuries. | |
| 3/8/2017 | Apex | Fatal(1) | ||||||||
| 3/1/2019 | Louisburg | Fatal(3) | ||||||||
| 10/20/19 | Raleigh | Fatal(2) | Crashes on approach, into Umstead State Park. |
Copyright 2023 by Michael J. Legeros