Wethersfield, CT. – March 28, 1948

Wethersfield, Connecticut – March 28, 1948

 

P-51 Mustang
U.S. Air Force Photo

     On March 27, 1948, Army Lieutenant Joseph F. McMillan, (28), of Derry, New Hampshire, took off in a P-51 Mustang aircraft from Grenier Field in Manchester, New Hampshire, bound for Mitchell Field, on Long Island, N. Y.   He arrived safely at Mitchell Field, and later took off for a return trip to Manchester.  At 1:05 a.m. on March 8, while in route back to Manchester, he was killed when his plane crashed in a swampy wooded area near the sixth hole at the Wethersfield Country Club Golf Course. 

     The cause of the accident is unknown. 

     Source: The Nashua Telegraph, “Derry Flier Dies In Conn. Plane Crash”, March 29, 1948, page 1.

 

Wethersfield, CT. – May 19, 1911

Wethersfield, Connecticut – May 19, 1911

     On May 19, 1911, Peter Dione, described as “a youthful aviator”,  attempted to fly his airplane between Wethersfield and Franklin Avenues near the Wethersfield-Hartford city line.  After rising to an altitude of forty feet the aircraft suddenly nosed over and fell to earth.  Just before impact, Dione leaped clear and landed in some tall grass which cushioned his fall and saved his life.  His injuries were minor. The aircraft smashed into the ground and was wrecked, but it was thought that the motor might be salvaged.

     Dione, who was from New Britain, Connecticut, had reportedly been working on the airplane for several weeks, keeping it at the former Goodrich Paper Factory on Franklin Avenue.  It was further reported that he also had two other aircraft stored there. 

     The day before his accident, he’d flown the same airplane, but was only able to attain an altitude of ten feet before landing safely.   

     Source:

    Hartford Courant, “Youthful Aviator Falls Forty Feet”, May 20, 1911 

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