For this Winter Backpacking Trip, we hiked into the Cranberry Wilderness to revisit a twin engine private plane that crashed in 1995 and went missing for 6 years, deep in the forests of a remote West Virginia mountaintop. Several people have gone missing in these remote woods as well, including a backpacker who went missing after setting out on a solo trip in 2014, as well as an experienced survivalist several years before who went into these woods never to be seen again.
For sleep and shelter, Frank and I both decided “cowboy camp” for this adventure. This is just a fancy term for camping without a tent or shelter. Just a sleeping pad on the ground with a sleeping bag. Sounds smart, right?
On the morning of November 28th, 1995, a Cessna 414, tail number N28901 took off from Braxton County Airport in Sutton, West Virginia headed for Lynchburg Regional, Virginia. After encountering low visibility due to foggy conditions, the lone pilot contacted air traffic control to request an IFR (instrument flight rules) flight plan in order to continue navigating the approaching mountainous terrain. After a period of apparent poor communications, possibly due to a radio issue, ATC lost contact with the pilot. Transponder signals ceased not long after the last communication, and the plane was never heard from or seen again until it was spotted from the air six years later.
More info on N28901 can be found in this copy of the NTSB report.
Route Overview – Cranberry Wilderness Cessna 414 Backpacking Trip – Sintax77
No permit is required to backcountry camp in the Monongahela National Forest.
Full GPS track data, including campsites, etc, for this trip and many others can be downloaded on my Trip Data Page.
Trailhead Used: Big Beechy Trailhead, 38°17’44.2″N 80°14’55.7″W
Highland Scenic Hwy, Minnehaha Springs, WV 24954
This is a small parking lot with room for several cars that is easily accessible via a paved road, but it is not maintained in winter. No parking fee or permit is required.
Trails Used, Day 1
- Follow the dirt road for less than 1/8 mile
- Turn right (north) onto Big Beechy Trail (sign missing as of 2021)
- District Line Trail
- Setup camp along the District Line trail
- This is not an established campsite by any means, but it’s the best clearing we found along the District Line Trail and is also about as close as the trail comes to the crash site located about a quarter mile downslope. There is room for a couple hammocks or tents. There is no reliable water by the trail here, so make sure to pack it in with you. We did stumble upon a small creek further downhill while searching for the plane, but it’s not listed on maps and I can’t vouch for how often it’s actually running.
- Bushwhack downhill about 1/4 mile to find Cessna N28901
- We found that the debris field location differed slightly from the NTSB report. We found what appeared to be the initial impact sight at N38° 20.073′ W80° 16.845′ , and the fuselage at N38° 20.009′ W80° 16.783′ More details can be found in my GPS data for this trip.
Day 1 Elevation Profile – Cranberry Wilderness Cessna 414 Backpacking Trip – Sintax77
Day 1 Mileage: 3.7 miles
Day 1 Gross Elevation Gain: 562 feet
Day 1 Gross Descent: 639 feet
Trails Used, Day 2
- Retrace yesterday’s route.
- Return to Big Beechy Trailhead.
Day 2 Elevation Profile – Cranberry Wilderness Cessna 414 Backpacking Trip – Sintax77
Day 2 Mileage: 3.7 miles
Day 2 Gross Elevation Gain: 639 feet
Day 2 Gross Descent: 562 feet
Grand Total Mileage: 7.4 Miles
Grand Total Gross Elevation Gain: 1,201 feet