December 14, Cashiers, N.C. / Piper Warrior

At about 1133 eastern time, a Piper PA-28-150 crashed about seven miles west of Cashiers. The pilot and passenger suffered minor injuries. The pilot said he was flying from Nashville to Greenville, N.C., at a cruising altitude of 7,500 feet. He then saw some lenticular clouds along his route of flight, so he began a climb to 9,500 feet. As he reached 9,000 feet, he saw Greenville in the distance, so he began a VFR descent. The next thing he knew, the airplane struck two trees. The airplane hit a snow-covered mountain at about 4,200 feet.