P-51 Mustang Crash Site - Beartown Wilderness Area, Virginia Photo Gallery by Ed Talbott at pbase.com

P-51 Mustang Crash Site - Beartown Wilderness Area, Virginia

In 2007, I located what I believed to be the remains of a military aircraft located near the summit of Beartown Tazewell Mountain (sometimes called Balsam Mt.) in Tazewell County, Virginia. The mountain is the 4th highest in Virginia and is one of the border mountains around Burke's Garden, the highest valley in Virginia. The paint appeared to be military in color but I had no experience with military aircraft. The elevation of the wreckage is approximately 4,650 feet with the peak elevation of the mountain at 4,710 feet. The wreckage is located in a very dense rhododendron thicket.

After some research, and a lot of help along the way from many different people, it is now apparent that this is the crash site of a WWII-era P-51D Mustang [Serial #44-73077] of the Michigan Air National Guard 172nd Fighter Squadron on a training flight from Battle Creek, Michigan to Charlotte, North Carolina. 1st Lt Robert Brannon Smith (born 23 Feb 1922), of Lansing, Michigan, was killed on 19 March 1954 when his P-51 crashed in the mountains near Tazewell VA. The aircraft was on a heading of approximately 150 when it impacted the ridge at about 4,700 feet - in heavy cloud cover and just below the summit. The newspaper accounts from the Bristol Herald Courier are both scanned and typed out below. If anyone has any additional information concerning this crash site, or any photographs of this plane or how a Michigan ANG P-51 would have been marked in 1954, please contact me at the e-mail address below. I'm planning on making return trip at some point to look for additional pieces, etc. I am also considering building a model of this plane. Thank you.

History of this P-51 Serial #44-73077:
Assigned to the Iowa ANG 174th Fighter Squadron / Assigned to the Pennsylvania ANG 148th Fighter Squadron
Assigned to the USAF 87th Fighter Interceptor Squadron / Assigned to the Oklahoma ANG 185th Fighter Squadron.
Assigned to the Wyoming ANG 187th Fighter Squadron / Assigned to the Michigan ANG 172nd Fighter Squadron.
Crashed on March 19, 1954

Ed Talbott
Richmond, Kentucky (hometown is Grundy, VA)
aquilaet@yahoo.com

Right side Inner Gear Door	Confirmation of P-51 Inner Gear Door	Military Color of Paint	Aluminum panel ?
Aircraft wreckage	Twisted Aluminum	Olive green paint	Panel
Panel - Other Side	Broken Bracket	Markings	Pieces of wing ?
Compass is 2" on short side	Compass is 2" on short side	Twisted Support	Markings
More Markings	Wreckage	Wreckage	Grommet
Tree Impact ?	Parts	Parts	Compass for Sizing
3 pieces	Brackets	P51 Mustang	Maiden Marker - 4,710 feet
Wilderness Area Marker	March 21, 1954 Article	March 22, 1954 Article	March 23, 1954 Article
172nd Air National Guard Insignia	172nd ANG P-51 Mustang

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Ken		20-Sep-2016 21:36
The Clinch Mountains are famous for collecting planes. I was the Wildlife Manager for Clinch Mountain and Hidden Valley WMA's from 1980-1986. There are three planes on Beartown Mountain. One is an old military style frame plane from the 40's 50's. One is a Cessna 172 which appears to be the above photos. The other is the FB-111 described above. All happened before my time there. Above Laurel Bed Lake is the Cheyenne. There were three people in the plane, and it was on approach to Richlands in dense fog. Ended up in a beaver pond. I was there and helped remove the bodies. Hidden Valley has collected two planes. One was a Cessna 172 just out from the top of the ridge beyond the radio towers. Two were killed in that plane. I helped with that one. The other was a Grumman that went into the cliff bands near the same place and burned. I had just left the Game Commission so it would have been in the fall of 1986. Most of the FB-111 was buried. The 172 on Beartown was mostly there, but the engine had been recovered. The 172 on Hidden Valley was recovered. The insurance company flew in personnel to recover as much of the Cheyenne as they could. Guy camped there several days and they flew out the parts with a helicopter, the pained the remains green with the yellow X.

Jerry		22-Apr-2016 22:26
There is also a Air force FB-111 that crashed on beartown mountain in Russell County. Near the Elk Garden school. Both pilots were killed and a memorial sign was put up. This was back in the 1970's. I lived in Lebanon at the time.

David Price		25-May-2015 03:10
Wonderful documentation. Military jets, at one time, routinely flew training exercises there because of the notable turbulence. I heard multiple stories of plane crashes on Beartown growing up in Lebanon. Great job finding one.

Adam Jolly		25-Apr-2015 15:42
Update: I found out that the plane I found near Laurel Bed Lake is actually a 1981 Piper Cheyenne that crashed July 29th, 1981. All three aboard died. The air force has the plane crash listed near Grundy, Virginia, 28 miles away. The FAA says Richland, Virginia, 9 miles away. The actual crash site that I found is in Clinch Mountain WMA. I verified it by the tail numbers on the plane and plane type. The plane was owned by Corwin and Company out of Birmingham Alabama. Anyone interested in hiking there needs to devote at least 10 hours and pack a meal. It is a very intensive hike and the plane is located in the creek in a giant laurel thicket. Use google earth to find the wreck before you go to orient yourself with it's location. Using google earth follow the creek upstream from laurel bed lake approximately five miles and you will see a white dot that is the plane. Good luck.

Adam Jolly		25-Apr-2015 13:34
I found the intact remains of what I believe is a Piper Navajo approximately 5 miles north of laurel bed lake. It lies in a laurel thicket in laurel bed creek. It is a six or eight seater plane and I can't imagine anyone surviving the crash but I can't find anything online about it. Does anyone know about this crash? It looks like it has been there for ten years and is on Clinch Mountain WMA but it is very remote and is located in Tazewell county. I will be posting a youtube video on this plane soon on the Budget Bucks Outdoors youtube plane as we found it turkey hunting.

Guest		27-Jul-2014 20:44
i have located over 30 aircraft i love to find the history about what went wrong and who the people were would like to find this mustang

David Bernhardt		24-Apr-2013 22:21
Just came across this looking into a 1985 crash of a C182 which was flying from Manassa, VA (KHEF), to Shelbyville, TN (KSYI). A 23 year old flying his 18 year old brother back to school hit Beartown Mountain flying VFR into IMC. It crashed at 3,850' according to the NTSB, but witness accounts had it at 4,700'. This wreckage certainly looks more like a P-51 than a 182.

Guest		03-Sep-2012 21:09
My dad's Boy Scout troop found this sight when the pilot was still in the plane. They recovered the crankshaft from the engine and took it back to Tazewell. I still have a intake/exhaust valve from the engine. Jim Rogers jmrogers@airmail.net

Refrigerator		12-Feb-2012 20:14
I backpack Bear town Wilderness at least once a year and have located this crash. Very small pocket of wilderness and very remote.

Walt McKinney		08-Mar-2011 17:45
It is typical to paint the remains of a crashed aircraft with yellow X's to indicate that the wreck has been located previously and is not a new crash. It appears from the photos that the majority of the remains have been removed from the site, and that the portions (usually the wings and fuselage) that might have been painted with yellow markings are gone.

Guest		12-Dec-2010 01:02
can anyone tell me if there are any marked trails into beartown i have always wanted to go. if so e-mail lugnut5757@yahoo.com

stacy hoops		27-Aug-2010 03:06
I've hiked this area a few times. I recall seeing the plane pieces as well (about 20 years ago)...I highly doubt that I would be able to find it again, although I have returned to the bog area twice in the last year.

Greg		01-Aug-2010 12:36
I hiked through the Beartown Wilderness over 25 years ago with a friend. We had some topo maps that were outdated and got way lost. We even ran across some moonshiners. i have always wanted to go back since but need to get a clear feel for public property lines as to avoid getting shot. I wish I had known about the plane then.

Guest		13-Jun-2009 20:31
Interesting photos. Robert B. Smith, Lansing Michigan (no relation to the unfortunate pilot)

Wallace Coffey		11-Jun-2009 05:00
You might want to consider the possibility that the plane remains were not painted yellow as the state trooper told the newspaper. It may have been painted with the camo color or green or whatever you found. The trooper may have just been given the wrong info by someone who told him what they usually did in such cases. Or someone may have changed the order and used the camo or green.

Marie Miller		04-Jun-2009 21:36
God bless and guide you, Marie

Eddie Ling		04-Jun-2009 13:31
OMG!

George Fisher		31-May-2009 17:28
I just found your posting re: military aircraft crash site, Beartown wilderness. I was just wondering about the date of these pictures. I've never been to the Wilderness, just researching the area as it relates to the Appalachian Trail. Best wishes, George Fisher, Bluefield, VA w4of@hotmail.com

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