from author and historian Jim Ignasher
South Weymouth Naval Air Station
NAS South Weymouth, in South Weymouth, Massachusetts, served as an operational air field from 1942 to 1997.
Also see Shea Naval Aviation Museum http://www.anapatriotsquadron.org/
K Class Navy Airship
South Weymouth Naval Air Station
October 2, 1942
National Archives Photo
U.S. Navy Blimp
South Weymouth Naval Air Station
February 11, 1944
National Archives Photo
First Passenger Flights In Vermont
Advertisement for the Orleans County Fair – 1911
On August 22, 23, & 24, the 22nd Annual Orleans County Fair was held at Roaring Brook Park, in Barton, Vermont. It was reported that aviator James V. Martin (1885-1956) would be there with his “passenger aeroplane” to take customers aloft, “thus constituting the first passenger flights in the state”.
It was further reported that Martin’s wife, one of the few women aviators at the time, who be with him at the fair.
Source:
St. Johnsbury Caledonian, “First Passenger Flights In Vermont”, August 16, 1911 – supplement.
Hyannis, Massachusetts – April 20, 1945
On the night of April 20, 1945, Ensign Roger Lee Thornton, 22, was killed when the navy aircraft he was piloting crashed about 1.5 miles N.N.E. of the Hyannis Naval Auxiliary Air Field. The type of plane and cause of the crash are unknown.
Ensign Thornton’s body was brought to the Quonset Point Naval Air Station in North Kingstown, Rhode Island, before being sent to Columbus, Ohio, for burial. He was survived by his wife Laura Katherine Thornton.
To see a photo of Ensign Thornton’s grave go to www.findagrave.com and see memorial #51907830.
Sources:
North Kingstown, Rhode Island, death records #45-39
Cape Cod Standard Times, “Navy Pilot Killed In Crash”, April 21, 1945
North Smithfield, Rhode Island – May 19, 1959
F-89 Scorpion
U. S. Air Force Photo
On May 19, 1959, two U. S. Air Force F-89 Scorpion jets attached to the 58th Fighter Interceptor Squadron were dispatched from Otis Air Force Base in Falmouth, Massachusetts, to intercept an unidentified aircraft that appeared on air defense radar. The flight was actually an unannounced drill. Such drills were common, one air command would send a plane into another air command’s air space to test readiness and proficiency.
The crew of one F-89 consisted of the pilot, Captain Arthur Cannella, 29, and his radar observer, Lieutenant Robert J. Scearce Jr., 26. Once airborne, Cannella’s F-89 was designated the radio call sign, “Kilo November Nine”, and the other “Kilo November Ten”. Even though they were scrambled out of Massachusetts, they were put in radio contact with the New York Air Defense Sector which was using the call sign “Occasion”.
Ironically, Lieutenant Scearce wasn’t scheduled to be on this particular flight. He was supposed to be relieved at the end of his shift by another radar observer, but when the man showed up he asked Scearce to cover for him for an hour or so until he could register his car. Scearce agreed, and thirty minutes later the scramble horn sounded.
As the Scorpions sped through the upper atmosphere at 30,000 feet on an interception course, both jets found themselves flying in thick clouds, or “popeye” in Air Force jargon, and were forced to fly in IFR (Instrument Flight Rules). Cannella and Scearce, (Kilo November Nine) began closing in on the “target” using their on-board radar, while Kilo November Ten was positioned a few miles away serving as the surveillance aircraft per instructions from Occasion. The following dialogue leading up to the accident is taken from a radio transcript submitted with the official Air Force Crash Investigation Report. (59-5-19-2)
OCCASION: “Kilo November Nine, your heading is two eight zero, your target, thirty five port now twelve miles. Do you have a contact?”
NINE: “Rog, we have a contact.”
OCCASION: “Roger, Contact.”
After a few moments of radio traffic between Occasion and the other aircraft:
NINE: “Zero Nine has a Judy.”
OCCASION: “Judy for zero nine. Investigate, full I.D. please.”
NINE: “Zero nine.”
A few moments later:
OCCASION: “Ten, nine is now a mile and a half behind the target, you hold them both the port side twenty five degrees at fourteen to thirteen miles.”
TEN: “Roger, ten”
OCCASION: “Ten, they’re in ten miles. Do you have a contact?” (Occasion was informing ten that nine and the target were now within ten miles of his aircraft and asking if he had them on radar.)
TEN: “Negative, ten seems to be bent here.”
OCCASION: “Roger ten, let’s come port two eight zero degrees that’ll place them fifteen to twenty your port side at seven to eight miles.”
TEN: “Roger two eight.”
OCCASION: “Nine, are you Victor Fox now?” (Asking if Nine was now above the cloud cover and flying on Visual Flight, (Victor Fox), Rules.)
TEN: “Roger, we’re on top at thirty seven.” (The report lists ten as answering, but nine was asked the question. This could be a typo.)
OCCASION: “Ten, your heading two seven zero, the target will be your two thirty position twelve miles.”
TEN: “Roger, understand, two thirty at twelve. Do you have a stranger passing about twelve o’clock at four or five miles?” (Apparently the aircraft’s radar was picking up another plane and was asking if Occasion had it on their radar.)
OCCASION: “Ten, that’s negative, you have a stranger off your starboard side at one thirty at fourteen. I have no stranger that neck of your position.”
OCCASION: “Ten, I now have a stranger in your heading of two seven zero in your ten o’clock position at six.”
After some course correction instructions between Occasion and Ten, Occasion checks on Nine.
OCCASION: “Nine, are you still popeye?”
NINE: “That’s affirm, I think we are going to get him soon here.”
OCCASION: “Roger, nine.”
OCCASION: “Ten, what state fuel?”
TEN: “Roger, ten has ten thousand pounds, oxygen sweet.” (10,000 lbs. of fuel and plenty of oxygen to breathe due to the altitude.)
OCCASION: “Roger, ten continue at gate your pigeons home plate zero seven zero degrees at forty five.” (“gate your pigeons” – Air Force slang for use afterburner for maximum power.)
TEN: “Roger. Forty-five starboard twenty four.”
NINE: “It’s a B-47 type aircraft, I’ll pull in and get numbers.” (The pilot was required to get the serial number on the tail of the target aircraft as proof they had identified it.)
OCCASION: “Roger, nine, we’re standing by.”
OCCASION: “Kilo November Ten, starboard three-three zero.”
TEN: “Roger three-three.”
NINE: “Zero nine is breaking it off. I’ll give you the numbers here.”
OCCASION: “Roger, nine, nine break port – port one eight zero degrees the hard way. I’ll join ten up with you.”
NINE: “I’ve already broken starboard, I’d had to break into the aircraft to break port.”
This was the last radio transmission received from Kilo November Nine.
Cannella and Scearce had broken to starboard, and unknowingly began heading almost straight down due to the lack of visual reference points. The aircraft began picking up speed, and then broke the sound barrier, something it was not designed to do. When it finally broke free of the clouds the situation became apparent, and the crew was forced to eject.
The Plexiglas canopy flew off as explosive charges under the crews’ seats blew them free of the cockpit. For the two men, hitting the slipstream at 700 mph was like being slammed into a brick wall. Both injured their shoulders in the bail out leaving them incapable of controlling their parachutes as they descended.
Meanwhile, those at Air Defense Command began to realize something was wrong. Both Occasion and Kilo November Ten tried to radio Nine, but got no response. Occasion reported to Ten that they had lost Nine on radar.
OCCASION: “Kilo November Ten, your Nine should now have gone off your starboard side. His last position that I had him was about fifteen your port side seven miles.”
TEN: “Roger, you still have no paint on him?”
OCCASION: “Negative, I’m not painting his parrot, (not on radar) I lost him, you heard the last transmission that he made to us as he turned starboard.”
TEN: “Roger, you want to clear me down through this stuff, (the clouds) I’ll drop on down here a little bit lower.”
OCCASION: “Ten that negative, be advised we’re over land and if anything did happen to Nine, no sense taking you down there too.” (Kilo November Ten was the given instructions to return back to Otis AFB.)
The men bailed out over the city of Woonsocket, Rhode Island. Many on the ground who witnessed the parachutes deploy first thought it was all part of a stunt connected to the upcoming Madi Gras celebration.
Former U. S. Rubber Company, aka Alice Mill,
at 85 Fairmont Street, Woonsocket, R. I.
The mill burned to the ground in June of 2011
Lieutenant Scearce landed hard on the roof of the U.S. Rubber Company at 85 Fairmont Street, suffering from multiple serious injuries connected to the bailout.
Employees of the plant climbed to the roof using a fire escape. Dorothy Kane, the industrial nurse for the company, began administering first aid while police and firemen converged on the area. Scearce was transported to Woonsocket Hospital where he stayed for the next eleven days.
Meanwhile, Captain Cannella landed in Harris Pond next to the Precious Blood Cemetery in northern Woonsocket. Looking down during his descent he saw 17-year-old Roland Ruge working in the cemetery and began calling for help. The wind carried him across the cemetery and straight into Harris Pond where he became tangled in the cords of his parachute. Acting quickly, Roland dove into the chilly water and swam 200 feet from shore to reach Canella. Roland struggled to pull the injured flyer to shore while keeping his head above water. As he neared shore someone threw him a rope.
Both Cannella and Ruge were transported to Woonsocket Hospital for treatment. While the captain was admitted for his injuries, Roland was treated for hypothermia and released.
While the crew of the F-89 came down in Woonsocket, the aircraft continued down into the neighboring town of North Smithfield, about 200 yards west of Greenville Road, (Rt. 104), at a point about three-tenths of a mile south of where Providence Street intersects with Smithfield Road. The plane exploded in a massive fireball.
The wreckage at the crash site was scattered in a swath a half-mile long and roughly 300 feet wide. Both engines were found intact approximately 300 feet past where the initial impact occurred. The fires burned hot enough to melt the aluminum from the plane. In one area, it was reported that the melted aluminum remained liquid until the firemen cooled it with water from their hoses.
The ejection seat belonging Lt. Scearce was later recovered by on Wright’s Farm on Woonsocket Hill Road, in North Smithfield, which is several miles away from where the air-crew parachuted to earth.
The Scorpion involved in this crash was an F-89 J, serial number 53-2621A.
While the aircrew lay recuperating at Woonsocket Hospital, Roland Ruge was hailed a hero by the Air Force for saving Captain Cannella’s life. Roland later received an official award from the Air Force and was given a tour of Otis Air Force Base. While being given the tour, he was able to view the remains of the wrecked F-89, and was presented with the cockpit compass as a keepsake.
Sources:
United States Air Force Crash Investigation Report #59-5-19-2
Woonsocket Call, “Two Bail Out Safely As AF Jet Crashes In North Smithfield”, May 19, 1959.
Providence Journal, “2 Airmen Hurt Parachuting”, May 20, 1959, Pg. 1
Woonsocket Call, “Crash Pilot Blames Going Too Fast”, May 20, 1959
Cape Cod Standard Times, “Plane Crashes In Rhode Island”, May 20, 1959 Cape Cod Standard Times, “Explosion Of Otis jet Being Probed”, May 20, 1959
Cape Cod Standard Times, “Investigation Is Continuing”, May 21, 1959
Woonsocket Call, “AF, Pilot’s Wife Pour Thanks On Hero Ruge”, May 21, 1959
Providence Journal, “Gathering Up Of Fighter Pieces Begins”, May 21, 1959, Pg. 19
Barre-Montpelier Airport – April 10, 1964
Shortly before 1:30 p.m., on April 10, 1964, a Northeast Airlines DC-3, (Flight 373) was taking off from Barre-Montpelier Airport with nineteen people aboard. The plane had barely left the ground when a sudden strong gust of wind rotated the plane and sent it crashing into a storage hangar, two parked cars, and another aircraft. Remarkably, there were no reported injuries.
Although the airliner suffered extensive damage there was no fire, and all aboard were evacuated safely.
Source: The Pittsburg Times, “None Injured In Vermont Plane Crash”, April 11, 1964
St. Johnsbury, Vermont – September, 1910
The newspaper source of this incident gave no specific date of occurrence.
Sometime during the month of September, 1910, Chester Karyman was test-flying an airplane belonging to Professor Clarence C. Bonnette over St. Johnsbury. The aircraft had reportedly reached “a considerable height” when it began to be buffeted by winds. As Karyman was bringing the plane down to land, he shut the engine off too soon, causing the craft to abruptly drop from the air and smash into the ground. The plane was badly damaged, but fortunately Karyman escaped with minor injuries.
The aircraft involved in this accident was a Curtis-type airplane named Vermont, or Vermont 1, because it was the first to be constructed in the state of Vermont. It was built by Professor Bonnette the previous winter, and test flights had begun in August, 1910.
Sources:
The Barre Daily Times, “Aeroplane Vermont Made Short Flight And Then Bumped The Earth.” September 29, 1910, Pg6
The Barre Daily Times, “Vermont’s First Aeroplane”, August 30, 1910
A MYSTERY MAN LANDS IN MIDDLETOWN
Middletown, Rhode Island – June 13, 1959
On the evening of June 13, 1959, Albert Presso went to answer the insistent knocking on the door to his Willow Avenue home in Middletown, Rhode Island. He opened the door to find a well dressed man in his twenties who identified himself as Greg Saunders, and then began to relate an incredible story.
Saunders appeared shaken, but managed to tell bits and pieces of what he had to say – a plane – a fire – bailing out – a crash. Presso knew immediately that he needed to alert authorities. Middletown police arrived in short order and took Saunders to Newport Hospital for examination. There he recovered his composure enough to give a detailed account of what had happened.
Saunders said he was a travel agent from Los Angeles, California, on a combined business and pleasure vacation. He had left California for Mexico City a few days ago flying his own twin-engine, blue and white Piper Apache. From there, he traveled to Nassau and on to Miami, Florida. After leaving Florida he landed at Flushing Airport in Queens, New York.
At 4:30 p.m. on the 13th, he took off from Flushing bound for Maine, and attained a cruising altitude of 6,500 feet which put him above a rainstorm moving up the coast. Somewhere near Rhode Island, he noticed flames licking out of the port engine and tried to extinguish the fire, but couldn’t. He then tried to use his radio to call for help, but found it inoperable due to the fire.
At this point he felt he had two options, to drop down through the storm and risk a crash landing, or set the autopilot, bail out, and take his chances. He opted for the later and took the plane up to 8,000 feet where he put it on a heading that would take it out over the Atlantic Ocean and away from populated areas. He figured that the craft had enough gas to carry it another 300 miles provided it didn’t explode first.
Saunders explained that normally he wouldn’t have had a parachute aboard, but because his flight plans had carried him over water he thought it prudent to carry one, along with an inflatable rubber raft.
Saunders came down on a Christmas tree farm in Middletown, and after removing his parachute he began looking for help. He said he hiked for almost an hour before he found himself at Mr. Presso’s home.
Officers noted that the neatly pressed tan suit Saunders was wearing showed no signs that he had hiked through wet weather on a farm, and his shoes were dry and free of mud. They also discovered that no reports of any aircraft in distress had been received. Skeptical of his story, they asked Saunders for positive identification, but he explained that in his haste to leave the burning aircraft that he had left it behind. He added that he would be filing an insurance claim for $49,795 for the loss of his plane, but first he needed to report the loss to Federal Aviation officials in Boston.
Saunders was dropped off at the Viking Hotel in Newport while police made plans to verify his story.
A check of the Flushing Airport revealed that there was no record of Saunders or his aircraft having ever been there. Civil Aeronautics Division officials in Boston stated that they had no record of Saunders ever filing any flight plans with them as required by law.
When daylight came the following morning, there were still no reports of any downed aircraft. An air search conducted by Trooper Ashworth of the state police and Robert Wood, the owner of the Newport Air Park failed to find any trace of the parachute that Saunders claimed he had abandoned.
Saunders had told officers that his permanent address was 1136 Glendale Boulevard, in Los Angeles, California, however, phone company records showed this to be untrue. Obviously there were a lot of holes in Mr. Saunders’ story.
When police showed up at the Viking Hotel they discovered that Saunders had left, telling the clerk on duty that he was “going back home to Boston.” The FAA in Boston was notified to be on the lookout for Saunders as Rhode Island officials had more questions for him, but Saunders never showed. In fact, he was never seen again.
Who was Gregory Saunders, if in fact that was his real name, and what would possess him to perpetrate such a hoax? Was it the media attention, an attempt at insurance fraud, or was it something else? The story is long forgotten in Middletown, but the mystery remains.
Sources:
Providence Journal, “Man Says He Leaped From Burning Plane”, June 14, 1959, N:1
Providence Journal, “Dapper Parachutist’s Tale Grows Even More Murky”, June 15, 1959, Pg. 1
Providence Journal, “Now, He’s Gone, Like His Plane, Parachute” June 15, 1959, Pg. 6
Lake Champlain – January 21, 1971
Vermont’s Enduring Aviation Mystery
Just before 7:00 p.m. on January 21, 1971, a Rockwell 1121 Jet Commander (N400CP) with five people aboard, took off from Burlington International Airport bound for Providence, Rhode Island. It was snowing that night, and roughly three to four minutes after take-off the plane abruptly vanished from radar and has never been found. No distress call was received.
It is presumed that aircraft went down in Lake Champlain, a massive body of water 120 miles long and 12 miles wide separating the states of Vermont and New York.
Over the next few days more snow covered ground, and the lake surface froze, causing the search for the airplane to be called off on February 4th.
In April of 1971, debris believed to be from the missing plane were discovered along the shore of Lake Champlain near Shelburne, Vermont. These included at tire and rim, a window frame assembly, insulation from the forward cabin area, an oxygen tank, and parts of a radio.
No human remains have ever been found.
One rumor connected with the flight is that the plane carried a large amount of cash and negotiable bonds, but this has never been substantiated.
Those aboard the plane included:
Pilot: George Nikita
Co-pilot: Donald E. Myers
Robert Williams
R. Kirby Windsor
Frank Wilder
While the disappearance has faded into history, there are those who continue to search.
In 2014 a hi-tec sonar search of 15 square miles of lake bottom near Shelburne was conducted. Although a number of possible targets were identified, nothing conclusive was found, and further investigation will be necessary.
Why can’t the plane be located?
As large as the sonar search area was, Lake Champlain covers, according to one source, 435 square miles, while another puts the figure at 490 square miles. And nobody knows for sure where the plane went into the water. Therefore there are still hundreds of square miles to be checked.
It’s also possible the plane broke apart on impact, which would make it more difficult to locate, and after more than forty years, it could have settled in silt.
In the meantime, the disappearance remains Vermont’s longest unsolved aviation mystery.
Sources:
The Telegraph, “Lake Champlain Search For Lost Jet Abandoned”, February 6, 1971
Burlington Free Press, “Search Resumes For Jet Missing Since 1971”, by Mike Donoghue, July 18, 2014.
Providence Journal, “Lake Champlain Searched For Providence-Bound Plane That Crashed 43 years Ago.” July 21, 2014
Burlington Free Press, “Strong Leads In Search For Missing Plane”, July 22, 2014
Marine Technology News, “Modern Tech For A Cold Case”, March 12, 2015
Aviation Safety Network, Flight Safety Foundation
Lake Champlain Land Trust website, www.lclt.org
Wikipedia – Lake Champlain
Rochester, Massachusetts – May 13, 1946
Updated October 15, 2023
Updated October 18, 2023
On May 13, 1946, two U. S. Navy aircraft with lone pilots aboard were practicing aerial maneuvers over the town of Rochester, Massachusetts, when they collided in mid-air. One aircraft had its tail sheared off, while the other lost a wing. The tailless plane went down in Mary’s Pond, while the other crashed and exploded in a cranberry bog about 100 feet from the pond. Both pilots perished in the accident.
Thee aircraft were SB2C Helldivers. Both pilots had taken off from the Quonset Point Naval Air station in Rhode Island. One newspaper account which appeared in the Waterbury Democrat stated that the planes were part of a six plane training flight.
One pilot was identified as Ensign Ralph Raymond Reid, 23, from Casper, Wyoming. A photo of him can be found at: https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/188718076/ralph-raymond-reid
Ensign Reid was survived by his wife Margaret.
His body was brought to Quonset Point Naval Air Station in North Kingstown, Rhode Island, before being sent to Wyoming.
The other pilot was identified as Ensign James C. Nichols, of Kings Mountain, North Carolina.
Sources:
North Kingstown, Rhode Island, death records #46-33
Waterbury Democrat, (Ct.), “Quonset Pilots Die In Plunge”, May 15, 1946.
Winston-Salem Journal, (N.C.), “Tar Heel Is Killed In Plane Collision”, May 16, 1946, pg. 8
First hand written account of Connie Eshbach, from the files of the Rochester Historical Society, forwarded to New England Aviation History by Eric Wiberg, author and historian.
Lincoln, Rhode Island – June 22, 1982
On the evening of June 22, 1982, a lone 42-year-old pilot took off from North Central State Airport in Smithfield, R. I. for a pleasure flight in his home-built, Davis model DA-2A, with the word “Experimental” on the side. The plans for building such aircraft, it was reported, were available through magazines, and the pilot had built his in 1978. It was approved by the FAA and the pilot had flown the aircraft many times without incident.
About fifteen minutes into the flight the aircraft developed engine trouble, and crashed on the green near the sixth hole at Lincoln Country Club on Dexter Rock Road. The aircraft was destroyed and the pilot was killed instantly, but nobody on the ground was injured.
One witness reported hearing a loud “pop” from the engine just before the crash.
Sources:
Woonsocket Call, “Pilot Is Killed In Lincoln Crash”, June 23, 1982
Pawtucket Evening Times, “A Sputter And It Was All Over”, June 23, 1982, page 1. (With photo)
Pawtucket Evening Times, “Plane Crash Puzzles Pilots”, June 23, 1982, page 24
Providence Evening Bulletin, “Pilot Killed In Lincoln Plane Crash”, June 23, 1982, page A-11, (With Photo)
The Sun, (Westerly, RI), “Victim Of Airplane Crash Was An Experienced Pilot”, June 24, 1982, page 16
Dorchester, New Hampshire – December 24, 1996
On the morning of December 24, 1996, a Learjet 35-A (N388LS) was in-route from Bridgeport, Connecticut, to Lebanon Municipal Airport in New Hampshire with two men in their 30s aboard. As the aircraft was making its approach to the airport the pilot aborted the landing and circled around for a second try. Shortly afterward all contact was lost and the plane vanished. There had been no distress call.
What came next was the longest search for a missing aircraft in the state’s history, lasting nearly three years. It was assumed the plane had crashed, and thousands of volunteers turned out to search, but nothing was found. (The aircraft did not have an emergency locator transmitter aboard.) Dedicated volunteers continued to scour the wilderness long after the search had officially been called off.
The Learjet’s wreckage was finally located near Smarts Mountain on November 13, 1999, roughly 20 miles from the airport. The plane had disintegrated on impact spreading debris over a large area which was one reason it was so hard to locate.
Source:
Baltimore Sun, “Mystery Of Learjet Finally Reveals Itself”, December 12, 1999, By Ernest Imhoff.
North Central Airport – June 24, 1978
Smithfield, Rhode Island
On June 25, 1978, a local man went to North Central State Airport to fly his aircraft, a Grumman AA-1A, and discovered that the battery was dead. A 19-year-old mechanic went to assist, and attempted to hand-start the plane. When the engine suddenly kicked over, the propeller blade struck the mechanic in the head causing an open fracture to his skull. He was rushed to a nearby hospital and underwent surgery, but succumbed to his injuries on June 30th.
Sources:
Woonsocket Call, “Propeller Accident Injures Mechanic”, June 25, 1978.
NTSB Report #NYC78FNA32
The following article appeared on page 8 of The Tacoma Times, February 17, 1916.
“Alaskans And New Englanders First To Get Aeroplane Mail”
Click on article to enlarge.
Narragansett Bay, Rhode Island – February 25, 1945
F6F Hellcat
U.S. Navy Photo
On February 25, 1945, Ensign Thomas William McSteen, 21, was killed when the F6F-5N Hellcat, (Bu. No. 70670) he was piloting crashed near Fox Island in the west passage of Narragansett Bay, between Jamestown and the mainland. Ensign McSteen and three other Hellcat aircraft were taking part in a carrier landing training exercise at the time. After examining the recovered aircraft, investigators concluded the accident occurred as a result of engine failure.
Ensign McSteen graduated Mt. Lebanon, Penn. High School in 1941, and enlisted in the navy in February of 1943. He received his Ensign’s commission and his pilot’s wings at Pensacola Naval Air Station in Pensacola, Florida, in July of 1944.
Ensign McSteen was survived by his wife Margaret Elizabeth, who he married at Pensacola NAS on July 22, 1944. He’s buried in St. Mary’s Cemetery in Pennsylvania. To see a photograph of Ensign McSteen, click on the link below.
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/128268666/thomas-william-mcsteen
Sources:
Larry Webster, Aviation Historian & Archaeologist
Pittsburgh Post – Gazzette, “Mt. Lebanon Girl Ensign’s Bride”, July 30, 1944
Historic Pitsburgh General Text Collection – Pittsburgh Library, “That We Might Have A Better World”, authored by the Mt. Lebanon School District, 1946. www.images.library.pitt.edu
U.S. Navy Accident Report dated February 25, 1945
Smithfield, Rhode Island – February 4, 1977
Nadeau Farm, Limerock Road
Shortly before 11:30 a.m. on February 4, 1977, a Cessna 150-L (N6756G) made a run over North Central State Airport at an altitude of only 200 feet. (The normal height for a run at the airport is 800 feet.) Runway workers who saw the plane go by noted it didn’t make a turn to land, and considered the possibility that it may have been involved in an accident. They drove to the end of the runway, and then along the tree line, but after finding nothing, returned to their work figuring the pilot had decided not to land. Unknown to everyone at the time was that the plane had crashed into a livestock shed on the farm of Edward Nadeau on Limerock Road.
The accident was discovered by Mr. Nadeau when he went out to feed his cattle. Rescue personnel responded, and found one man, flight instructor Steven Nottell, 30, of Cranston, R. I., still alive and transported him to Fogarty Memorial Hospital in North Smithfield, where he was listed in critical condition. Another man, student pilot Paul D. Gurette, 24, of North Kingstown, R. I., was dead at the scene.
Officials ruled out engine trouble as no distress call had been received, and theorized the plane may have stalled while attempting to turn back towards the airport. It landed nose-down, with the tail sticking upwards out of the shed.
On February 8th, it was reported that officials suspected a second aircraft may have been involved, and that a possible minor mid-air collision may have occurred. This idea was based on some un-explained traces of paint found on the fuselage, and that someone reported another Cessna had taken off from the airport shortly before the accident. However, this theory was later discounted.
On February 17th, it was reported that Steven Nottell was still in a coma, and had not regained consciousness since the crash, and investigators said they still hadn’t determined a cause for the accident.
On March 6, 1977, it was reported that Mr. Nottell had passed away, and never regained consciousness.
Sources:
Woonsocket Call, “Man Killed, 1 Critical, In Smithfield”, February 4, 1977.
Woonsocket Call, “Plane Crash Survivor Critical”, February 5, 1977.
Providence Journal, “Flight Teacher Still Critical”, February 6, 1977, Pg. B-15.
Woonsocket Call, “Prober Suspects Midair Scrape In Plane Crash”, February 8, 1977
Providence Journal, “Second Plane Eyed As Cause Of Fatal Crash”, February 8, 1977, Pg. B-1.
Providence Journal, “Aviation Officials Discount 2nd Plane”, February 9, 1977, Pg. B-4.
Providence Journal, “Air Crash Victim Still In Coma After 12 Days”, February 17, 1977, Pg. B-13.
Providence Journal, “Second Air Crash Victim Dies”, March 6, 1977, Pg. B-15.
Burlington, Vermont – September 20, 1948
DC-3 Airliner
On September 20, 1948, Colonial Airlines, Flight 3, left Montreal, Canada, bound for New York City by way of Burlington, Vermont. The aircraft was a DC-3, tail number NC17335, with a crew of three, and fourteen passengers aboard.
Weather at Burlington Airport was rainy with 1 mile visibility and an 800 foot cloud ceiling. Flight 3 arrived at Burlington shortly before midnight and attempted to land on Runway 1. After the plane touched down on the slick tarmac it skidded into a pile of dirt and some trees at the end of the runway.
Although the airliner suffered extensive damage there was no fire and everyone was evacuated safely. There were only two reported injuries: a Miami, Florida, woman suffered a possible broken rib, and the stewardess a slight concussion. Both were treated at a nearby hospital. The uninjured passengers were transferred to another plane.
Colonial Airlines merged with Eastern Airlines in 1956.
Sources:
Lewiston Daily Sun, “Colonial Plane Crash Lands At Burlington”, September 21, 1948, page 1.
Woonsocket Call, (R.I.) “Montreal Plane Crash Lands At Burlington Field”, September, 21, 1948
Aviation Safety Network aviation-savety.net
Wikipedia – Colonial Airlines
Vintage Postcard Views of
East Boston Airport
Click on images to enlarge.
Lincoln, Rhode Island – July 24, 1971
In the early morning hours of July 24, 1971, two men took off from North Central State Airport in Smithfield, R.I. for a practice flight. The pilot, Robert R. Rogers, 32, of North Providence, R.I., was flying with one passenger, Pasquale J. Petrarca, 28, of Providence. At about 2:40 a.m. while circling the airport, the aircraft suddenly went down in a wooded area about a quarter of a mile from the airport. Both men were killed instantly.
The airport is located in Smithfield, R.I., but the aircraft came down in the town of Lincoln, R.I. The airport sits on the town line.
The aircraft involved was a Cessna 172-K (N84446)
Source:
Woonsocket Call, “Lincoln Plane Crash Kills 2”, July 25, 1971
Portland, Maine Municipal Airport
Click on image to enlarge.
Post Card View Of Portland, Maine,
Municipal Airport
Hopkinton, Rhode Island – December 13, 1945
SB2C Helldiver
U.S. Navy Photo
On December 13, 1945, an SB2C-4E Helldiver (Bu. No. 83080) took off from Charlestown Naval Auxiliary Air Station in Charlestown, Rhode Island, for a gunnery training flight. While making a tight turn in the air at 1,400 feet, the plane suddenly spun in and crashed in woodland off Panciera Road in the town of Hopkinton, Rhode Island. (The area of the crash is approximately eight miles from the airfield.)
Both crewmen aboard were killed instantly. They were:
(Pilot) Ensign Kenneth Walter Barnes, 25, of Cincinnati, Ohio. He’s buried in St. Joseph’s New Cemetery in Cincinnati. He was survived by his wife Dorothy. https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/129069814/kenneth-walton-barnes
Aviation Ordnanceman 3cl Charles Otmar Henninger, 28, of Sumner, Iowa. He’s buried at St. Peter’s Evan. Cemetery in Bremer Co. Iowa. He was survived by his wife Geneva. For more information about the life of Charles Henninger see the website “Bremer County Veterans Affairs” at www.bremercountyva.org/gravesite/charles-otmar-henninger/
Sources:
(book) BuNos! Dispostion of World War II USN, USMC, And USCG Aircraft Listed By Bureau Numbers, by Douglas E. Campbell, copyright 2012.
North Kingstown, Rhode Island, death records: 45-118, and 45-119.
Findagrave.com- Charles Otmar Henninger, Memorial # 27384806
Findagrave.com – Kenneth Walter Barnes, Memorial # 129069814
Bremer County Veterans Affairs website – see above.
U.S. Navy Crash Brief, 6-45
Smithfield, Rhode Island – August 19, 1970
Updated July 6, 2017
At 9:35 p.m., on August 19, 1970, an single-engine Ercoupe Model E, (N94832), took off from runway 23 at North Central State Airport in Smithfield. According to witnesses, shortly thereafter, the plane made two left turns, as if the pilot was attempting to land back on the runway. Then the plane suddenly exploded in mid-air and nose-dived into a wooded area off Lime Rock Road. The lone pilot did not survive.
One theory considered by investigators was that the pilot had experienced engine trouble.
Sources:
Woonsocket Call, “Plane Crash Victim Believed Johnston Man”, August 20, 1970, Pg. 1
Providence Journal, “Man Killed In Burning Plane Crash”, August 20, 1970 (with photo)
Providence Evening Bulletin, “Pilot Killed As Plane Explodes, Crashes In Smithfield Woods”, August 20, 1970, page 2 (with photo)
Revere, Massachusetts – August 2, 1901
At about 5 p.m., on August 2, 1901, aeronaut Frank P. McBride, of Meriden, Connecticut, made a balloon ascension from the Point-of-Pines section of the town of Revere. Just as the balloon reached an altitude of 100 feet it suddenly collapsed, and began to fall. McBride was too low to use his parachute, and was forced to stay with the balloon. Thankfully a cross-wind helped to slow the craft’s downward speed, pushing it sideways as it fell. When the gondola hit the ground McBride was flipped from the basket and landed on his feet, breaking a bone in his left heel and injuring his back.
McBride was injured in another balloon accident on July 18, 1901, when he ascended from Ulmer Park, New Jersey. While over Brooklyn, New York, a strong wind buffeted his balloon against trees and buildings before he was finally pitched through a window.
Source: The Meriden Weekly Republican, “Aeronaut McBride Hurt Near Boston”, August 8, 1901
The Hazzard Shoe Flying Corporation
Old Orchard Beach, Maine
Click on image to enlarge.
Post Card View of The Hazzard Shoe Flying Corp.
North Central Airport – July 19, 1952
Smithfield, Rhode Island
North Central State Airport, located in the northeast corner of Smithfield, Rhode Island, opened in December of 1951. Several months later the first aviation related fatality at the airport occurred there.
On July 18, 1952, Clinton Corey, 31, made an emergency landing at North Central Airport after the Piper Cub he was piloting developed engine trouble. The aircraft was owned by E. W. Wiggins Airways of Norwood, Massachusetts, which Corey worked for. He notified the company of the situation, and arrangements were made to leave the plane overnight to be repaired the following day.
On the morning of July 19th, Corey returned with William Coullahan, another Wiggins employee, in another Wiggins aircraft. Both men thoroughly went over the aircraft Corey had been flying the day before, and by 3:30 p.m. they deemed it ready for a flight back to Norwood.
Coullahan climbed aboard the plane they had been working on, while Corey agreed to fly the other one. Coullahan was to take off first, and then Corey would follow, and both would stay together while en-route back to Norwood.
As Coullahan took off, he completed a 200 foot circle at the end of the field before suddenly crashing in a cow pasture just beyond the airport. Coullahan was taken to Roger Williams Hospital in Providence where he died the following day.
Coullahan, 29, of Westwood, Mass. was a Marine Corps veteran of World War II where he served in the Pacific Theatre. He was survived by his wife Florence Mae.
Sources:
Providence Journal, “Mass.. pilot Injured When Plane Falls Near Smithfield Airport”, July 20, 1952, Pg. S1
Providence Journal, “Mass. pilot Dies After R.I. Crash”, July 21, 1952, Pg. 20
Woonsocket Call, Photo with caption. July 21, 1952, Pg. 5
The Pawtucket Times, “Pilot Dies After Crash”, July 21, 1952, pg. 2.
Vintage post card showing a seaplane at Rockland, Maine.
Click on images to enlarge.
Charlestown, Rhode Island – April 17, 1944
Great Swamp
Updated July 8, 2017
Hellcat Fighters
U.S. Navy Photo
On April 17, 1944, a flight of four F6F-3 Hellcats left Quonset Point Naval Air Station for a familiarization training flight. During the flight the aircraft flew in a line of four, in a “follow the leader” type of pattern. It was during a phase of the exercise when the aircraft were changing positions in the formation that a mid-air collision between two of the aircraft occurred. Both aircraft, (Bu. No. 40345), piloted by Ensign Stephen L. Smith, 21, and (Bu. No. 66034), piloted by Lieutenant Robert C. Stimson, 27, crashed and exploded in a wooded portion of the “Great Swamp” area of Charlestown. Neither pilot survived.
Ensign Stephen Luther Smith was from of St. Andrews, Florida. He’s buried in Greenwood Cemetery in Panama City, Florida. (See www.findagrave.com, memorial #32844142)
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/32844142/stephen-luther-smith
Lieutenant Robert Charles Stimson was from of Shelby, Ohio, and was survived by his wife. He’s buried in Oakland Cemetery in Shelby. To read more about Lt. Stimson, and to see photographs of him, go to www.findagrave.com, memorial 73196817.
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/73196817/robert-charles-stimson
Sources:
North Kingstown, Rhode Island, death records
U.S. Navy Accident Report #44-12263
North Kingstown, R. I. – March 30, 1950
Near Quonset Point Naval Air Station
Updated February 6, 2024
F4U-4 Corsair Bu. No. 81347
Pilot: Ens. Henry F. Hite
Killed March 30, 1950
North Kingstown, Rhode Island
Navy Photo
On March 30, 1950, a flight of five U.S. Navy F4U Corsairs took off from the Quonset Point Naval Air Station for a formation training flight. As the aircraft were passing over the Hamilton section of North Kingstown at about 3,000 feet in a Vee formation, two of them collided in mid-air. One plane crashed near the Old State Road narrowly missing a home and children playing in the area. The other came down in a wooded area on the Bicknell Farm. Debris of both aircraft was scattered over a wide area. Neither pilot survived.
The pilots were identified as:
Ensign John Hall, 22, of Hamburg, New York. https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/214003811/john-hall
Ensign Henry F. Hite Jr., 23, of Waco, Texas. https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/179740078/henry-fuller-hite
In 2000, an article was published in The Standard Times, about a homeowner and his family that had recovered artifacts relating to one of the aircraft while digging in their back yard. Some of the artifacts were turned over to the now defunct Quonset Air Museum. The present whereabouts of the artifacts is unknown.
Sources:
The Standard, (R.I.), “Planes Collide Over Hamilton, Both Pilots Killed In Crash”, April 6, 1950
New York Times, “Air Collision Kills Two”, April 1, 1950
The Standard Times, (R. I.), “Homeowners Dig Up Debris From 1950 Plane Crash”, March 11, 2000.
Lynn, Massachusetts – July 9, 1905
On the evening of July 9, 1905, Boston aeronaut William Canfield, and Mrs. Camille Stafford, were in a balloon over Lynn, Massachusetts, when it developed a leak and began to fall. Realizing that their combined weight was pulling the balloon downward to a certain crash, Canfield decided to jump using a parachute in order to lighten the weight so as to give Mrs. Canfield a better chance at survival. His decision was not a selfish one, for when he jumped the craft had dropped to 1,000 feet, which was generally considered too low for a parachute jump, and surviving the jump was doubtful. Therefore, he was willing to sacrifice his own life in order to save his passenger.
But luck was with them. When Canfield jumped, a strong wind caught his parachute, but it sent him crashing into a house. Although seriously injured, he was alive.
Mrs. Stafford stayed with the balloon, which landed safely about a mile away.
Source: (San Jose, CA.) The Evening News, “Risks Life To Save A Woman”, July 11, 1905
Westerly, Rhode Island – March 4, 1950
On March 4, 1950, two civil aircraft, a Cessna 140, and a Cessna 170, collided in mid-air about a mile-and-a-half off the shore of the Misquamicut section of Westerly and went down in the water. Each aircraft carried two people; each a flight student and their instructors.
The Coast Guard was called to employ divers in the search for the aircraft. Debris from both planes was later washed ashore, confirming that neither plane made it to shore after the collision.
As the search continued, many spectators lined the beaches despite the cold weather. Some doubted the planes would be found. The Providence Journal reported in part, “Westerly residents recalled yesterday that during World War II some half-dozen Navy planes had crashed in approximately the same area as the two light craft Saturday, and that neither the planes nor the pilots ever were found. They attributed this to the existence of a rock ledge some distance offshore which deflects the strong tides of the vicinity and tends to wash objects on the bottom out to sea rather than towards shore.”
Those aboard the Cessan 170 were identified as (pilot) William A. McCormac, 39, and Lester Silvers, 26.
Those aboard the Cessna 140 were identified as (pilot) Reginald Delagrange, 31, and Arthur E. Smith, 25.
Sources:
Providence Journal, “Divers To Seek 2 Aircraft In Which Four Lost Lives” March 6, 1950, Pg. 2
New York Times, “Four Feared Dead In Crash Of Planes”, March 6, 1950
Stratford, CT – April 13, 1911
Lordship Park
On April 13, 1911, George C. Nealy, aka “Steeple Jack” Nealy, aka “The Human Fly”, was making a trial flight in a Bleriot aeroplane at Lordship Park in Stratford, when a sudden gust of wind suddenly sent the aircraft plunging forty feet to the ground. Nealy was tossed out by the impact and suffered only minor injuries. It was believed the airplane could be repaired.
It was reported in The Bridgeport Evening Farmer that “Nealy is one of Stanley Y. Beache’s “stable of aviators”. Beach has several machines at his hangar in Stratford, two Bleriots, a Curtiss biplane, and others. ”
“Steeple Jack” Nealy gained fame when he hung upside down from the spire atop the Singer Tower in Manhattan, N.Y., and took photographs of the view – something that had not been done before.
The 47-story Singer Tower was the tallest building in the world from 1908 to 1909. It was demolished in 1968.
Nealy had placed an advertisement in the March 1911 issue of Aircraft that read as follows:
“Steeple Jack” Nealy, better known as The Human Fly, would like to run an aeroplane for some reliable company. I am the man that hung by my toes from the Singer Building flag pole 674 feet high. Have made many parachute descents and have invented an automatic device for stability. Geo. C. Nealy, 1454 Rockaway Ave., Brooklyn, N.Y.”
Sources:
The Bridgeport Evening Farmer, “Steeple Jack Has Mishap In Aeroplane”, April 14, 1911, First Section, Page 4.
Aircraft, classified ads, “Steeple Jack Nealy”,March, 1911.
Wikipedia – Singer Tower
Douglas, Massachusetts – September 12, 1944
Updated February 15, 2018
U.S. Navy F6F Hellcat
U.S. Navy photo
At 1:50 p.m. on the afternoon of September, 12, 1944, a flight of F6F Hellcat aircraft took off from the naval auxiliary air field at Westerly, Rhode Island, for a high-altitude oxygen training flight. One of those assigned to the flight was Ensign Arthur Joseph Stockus, 23, piloting an F6F-3 Hellcat, (Bu. No. 42800).
When the planes had reached an altitude of about 13,000 feet, the flight leader lead the squadron in a northerly direction towards Massachusetts, all the while continuing to gain altitude. The goal was to reach 30,000 feet.
At approximately 2:50 p.m. while the flight was at 28,000 feet, Ensign Stockus’s aircraft was seen to suddenly break away from formation, go into a slow roll, and then disappear into an alto cumulus cloud. Efforts to contact him via radio were unsuccessful.
Ensign Stockus was killed when his Hellcat crashed and exploded in a wooded area about two miles west of the center of Douglas, Massachusetts.
Navy investigators later speculated that his oxygen system had failed, which could lead to disorientation or unconsciousness.
Ensign Stockus was from Monessen, Penn., and had been assigned to CASU-27. He entered the navy on October 15, 1942, at Washington, D.C. He died just two days after his 23rd birthday.
Ensign Stockus had a brother Robert who was also serving as a naval officer.
To see a photo of Ensign Stockus’s grave, click here: https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/237847778/arthur-joseph-stockus
Sources:
U.S. Navy Investigation Report
North Kingstown, Rhode Island, death records #44-72
The Daily Republican, (Penn.), “Plane Crash Kills Monessen Ensign”, September 18, 1944
Newport Mercury, (R.I.), “Dead Flyer Identified”, September 22, 1944, page 6.
Copy – Application for World War II Compensation Form – Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
Atlantic Ocean – September 8, 1949
Updated March 30, 2019
5 Miles Off Sakonnet Point, Rhode Island
F8F Bearcat
U. S. Navy Photo
On September 8, 1949, two navy F8F Grumman Bearcat aircraft took off from the Quonset Point Naval Air station for what was to be a high altitude instrument training flight. One of the aircraft, (Bu. No. 95332), was piloted by Ensign Henry J. Harling, 22, of Staten Island, N.Y.
While at 10,000 feet both pilots went on oxygen and continued to climb to 32,000 feet. At 28,000 feet Ensign Harling reported smoke in his cockpit, and both aircraft began to descend. A short time later, while at an altitude of 25,000 feet, Harling radioed to the other pilot that he was going to bail out.
The other pilot later told investigators that he saw smoke coming from the area of the exhaust ports, and that the tail wheel on Ensign Harling’s aircraft was down. He observed Ensign Harling open the cockpit canopy, and at that time saw that he was still wearing his oxygen mask. Harling’s plane was then seen to roll on its back, nose down, and spin twice, before apparently recovering. It then entered a cloud bank and the other pilot lost sight of it.
The other pilot followed Harling’s plane down through the cloud bank, and upon coming through it observed an explosion when Harling’s plane hit the water about five miles off Sakonnet Point, R. I. (Another source stated the plane went down off Horseneck Beach in Westport, Mass.)
Witnesses on boats reported seeing Harling’s plane trailing smoke before it hit the water. No parachute was observed.
Planes and rescue boats were immediately launched. An oil slick was discovered, but after a two-day search it was concluded that Ensign Harling had been unable to escape from the cockpit and had remained in his aircraft when it hit the water. The cause of the accident was speculated to be a failure in the aircraft’s hydraulic system, particularly with the aircraft’s tail wheel.
Ensign Harling has been assigned to VF-73.
Sources:
New York Times, “Navy Pilot Dives In Sea” , September 9, 1949
U. S. Navy accident report dates September 8, 1949
Fall River Herald, (Mass.), “Tank, Oil Slick Found; Pilot Is Presumed Dead”, September 8, 1949
Boston, Massachusetts – July 3, 1909
On Saturday, July 3, 1909, a church in Cambridge, Massachusetts, was having a Fourth of July celebration fair. Part of the festivities included a balloon ascension scheduled for later in the day. At the appointed time, aeronaut Joseph J. Cannon, 37, took off in his balloon and drifted across the Charles River and over the Boston Common. It was there the hot air in the balloon suddenly began to cool down causing an uncontrolled loss of altitude. The craft came down between two tall business buildings at the corner of Washington and Milk Streets. (These buildings no longer exist.) The balloon’s netting became caught, leaving Cannon suspended over the narrow alleyway that ran between the two buildings. He was rescued, unhurt, by members of the Boston Fire Department.
Source: (New Brunswick) The Sun, “Boston Aeronaut Is Rescued From His Perilous Position” July 5, 1909
Stratford, Connecticut – July 11, 1910
Lordship Park
On July 2, 1910, it was reported in The Bridgeport Evening Farmer that Stanley Y. Beach, editor of The Scientific American, was planning a flight that afternoon in his new Bleriot monoplane at Lordship Park, in Stratford.
The article stated in part, “Mr. Beach is the first aeronaut to hit upon the gyroscope as a means of insuring stability in flying machines, but has not yet succeeded in putting his ideas to a practical test. He has made many attempts at flight, and each one appears to bring him nearer to his goal. The occasion of his last attempt, he arose a few feet from the ground and actually flew for a short distance, but not long enough to put his machine through a real trial.”
The article also stated that “Mr. Beach’s ultimate project is a flight across Long Island Sound.”
At about 2:00 p.m. on the afternoon of July 10,1910, Mr. Beach was back at Lordship Park with his Bleriot monoplane preparing for another flight. Beach had directed his airplane towards a fifty-foot cliff overlooking Long Island Sound at the edge of the park. After a mechanic started the engine, Beach sped towards the cliff, but when he tried to take off the plane didn’t respond to the controls, and Beach suddenly realized he was in trouble. Just as he reached the cliff’s edge Beach bailed out and tumbled to the ground. The aircraft continued over the edge and crashed on some rocks below. Beach was relatively unhurt, but the aircraft suffered considerable damage.
The accident did not deter Beach from aviation.
Sources:
The Bridgeport Evening Farmer, “With New Aeroplane Beach Plans Flight From Lordship Park”, July 2, 1910, Page 3.
The Bridgeport Evening farmer, “Stanley Beach Plunges From Flying Machine As It Dashes Over Cliff At Lordship Park”, July 11, 1910, Page 2.
New York Tribune, “Beach Monoplane Falls”, July 12, 1910, Page 3.
Atlantic Ocean – June 20, 1947
15 Miles South of Nantucket, Mass.
On June 20, 1947, Ensign Malcolm Sillars was on an operational flight over the Atlantic Ocean, 15 miles south of Nantucket Island, when the Hellcat fighter he was piloting developed engine trouble. He was forced to make a water landing, and when his plane sank he inflated his life vest. There he floated in the water as fellow Hellcat pilots circled above.
A crash-rescue flying boat was dispatched, but when it arrived on the scene the water was too choppy for a safe landing. The pilot was ordered not to attempt the rescue, but disregarded the command, and landed anyway, successfully plucking Sillars from the water.
During take-off, a large wave reportedly tossed the rescue-craft 30 feet in the air, but the pilot successfully made it into the air.
Source: New York Times, “Pilot Rescued At Sea” , June 21, 1947
Burlington, Vermont – September 27, 1910
On September 27, 1910, Vermont aviator Geroge Schmidt of Rutland, was attempting to take off at the Valley Fair in Burlington when his Curtiss aircraft caught some ropes surrounding an enclosure and broke several wing braces. Schmidt was unhurt, but the aircraft required repair before it could be flight worthy.
Source: Burlington Weekly Free Press, “Valley Fair A Big Attraction” (Aeroplane Has A Mishap), September 29, 1910, Page 6.
Block Island Sound, Rhode Island – July 13, 1944
5 miles off Charlestown, R.I.
U.S. Navy F6F Hellcat
U.S. Navy photo
Ensign Gerald Vivian Brosteaux, 20, was killed during a night training flight July 13, 1944 when the F6F-3 Hellcat, (Bu. No. #42254), he was piloting crashed in the water five miles off Charlestown, Rhode Island. At the time of the accident he was participating in night carrier practice landings. The night was relatively dark with no moon and no visible horizon.
Ensign Brosteaux was assigned to Night Fighter Squadron 102, (VFN-102), at Quonset Point Naval Air Station in North Kingstown, Rhode Island. He’s buried in Fort Rosecrans National Cemetery in San Diego OSA Site 25-A. To see a photo of him, click on the link below.
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/67092141/gerald-vivian-brosteaux
Sources:
North Kingstown, Rhode Island, death records
U. S. Navy accident report dated July 13, 1944
Findagrave.com #67092141
Smithfield Airport – May 17, 1947
Smithfield, Rhode Island
On May 17, 1947, a 34-year-old pilot from Cranston suffered critical injuries when he undershot the grass runway at the Smithfield Airport and crashed his WWII surplus monoplane through a stone wall after which it flipped onto its back. He was transported to Roger Williams Hospital in Providence.
The aircraft was a Ryan PT-22 low wing monoplane.
The Smithfield Airport opened in 1932, and once occupied the land now owned by Bryant University. The airfield was located where the Bryant football stadium stands today. Smithfield Airport no longer exists, and should not be confused with North Central State Airport, which is still an active airport in the town of Smithfield, Rhode Island.
Sources:
Woonsocket Call, “Men Escape Without Injuries As Plane Crashes In Cumberland”, May 26, 1947. This article focused on a plane crash in Cumberland, R. I. which occurred on May 25, 1947, but mentioned that the Cumberland accident was the third aviation accident for the month of May in Rhode Island. One of the other two accidents mentioned was the one in Smithfield at the Smithfield Airport on May 17th.
Pawtucket Times, “Trio Unhurt In Plane Crash”, May 26, 1947. Article tells of another plane that crashed in Cumberland, as well as the Smithfield accident.
Portsmouth, New Hampshire – January 30, 1981
FB-111
U.S. Air Force Photo
On January 30, 1981, the United States military was conducting a nationwide readiness exercise dubbed Global Shield ’81. The aircraft involved in this accident was taking part in that exercise.
At 2:55 p.m., an FB-111 fighter-bomber (No. 68-0263) assigned to Pease Air Force Base in Portsmouth, was returning to Pease when the aircraft began to violently roll and shake. The pilot, Captain Peter Carellas, 33, struggled to maintain control, but when the jet fell below 4,000 feet he and the navigator, Major Ronald Reppe, 39, were forced to eject.
The aircraft came down in an apartment complex known as Sea Crest Village and exploded. The burning fuel set one of the apartment buildings on fire. Three people suffered minor injuries, and 13 families were left homeless. (The families were given shelter at hotels at Air Force expense.)
The crew of the aircraft landed safely about a 1/4 mile away.
The FB-111 was designed to carry nuclear weapons if necessary, however, at the time of the accident it wasn’t carrying any ordinance.
Sources:
St. Petersburg Independent, “Air Force Plane Crashes Into Apartments”, January 31, 1981
Nashua Telegraph, “Pilot And navigator Eject Safely; No One Killed Or Seriously Injured”, January 31, 1981
Lewiston Daily Sun, “F111 Crash Report – Jet Out Of Control, Crew Bailed Out”, May 8, 1981
Nashua Telegraph, “Pease Crew Lost Fight To Control Plane”, May 8, 1981, Pg. 44
Providence Journal Bulletin, “Fighter Plane crashes; Two Apartments Burn”, January 31, 1981, page 1.
Off Block Island – August 1, 1944
U.S. Navy F6F Hellcat
U.S. Navy photo
On August 1, 1944, a U. S. Navy F6F-3N Hellcat fighter assigned to VF(N)-104 at Charlestown Auxiliary Naval Air Station, in Charlestown, Rhode Island, crashed in shallow water just off Block Island, R.I. The pilot, Rex Milton, (Rank unknown.) escaped injury, and swam to shore.
It was reported that the aircraft would be recovered.
Sources:
Newport Mercury, “Navy Gives Names Of Missing Flyers”, August 4, 1944. The newspaper article’s headline refers to another crash in which three navy airmen were lost off Block Island on July 28, 1944. This accident is also mentioned in the article.
Larry Webster, Aviation Historian and Archeologist.
Berkley Airfield – May 25, 1947
Cumberland, Rhode Island
On May 25, 1947, a 25-year old pilot from Pawtucket took off in a small biplane from Berkley Airfield in Cumberland, with his brother and a friend aboard as passengers. Just after becoming airborne the engine started to run erratically so the pilot turned back to make an emergency landing. As he was approaching the field he noticed some boys playing baseball, and had to re-direct his course to avoid them. When he did so the aircraft struck some electrical wires tearing off the wings and causing the plane to crash. Despite the damage to the plane, neither the pilot or his passengers suffered injury.
Berkley Airfield once existed in the Berkley section of the town of Cumberland, R. I..
Sources:
Providence Journal, “Men Escape Without Injuries As Plane Crashes In Cumberland”, May 26, 1947, Pg. 1
Pawtucket Times, “Trio Unhurt In Plane Crash”, May 26, 1947.
Off Block Island – July 28, 1944
U.S. Navy Avengers
National Archives Photo
On the night of July 28, 1944, a U.S. Navy TBM-1D Avenger (Bu. No. 47455) was on a routine flight over the Atlantic Ocean -possibly on anti-submarine patrol – when it crashed about five miles south of Block Island. Exactly what happened to the aircraft was never determined.
The aircraft was assigned to Escort Scouting Squadron 13, (VC-13).
All three crewmen aboard were lost.
(The Pilot) Lieutenant William Van Arsdale Wilson, of Marysville, Calif. Lt. Wilson was born July 4, 1919, and enlisted in the Naval Air Corps in August of 1941. He was promoted to Lt. (jg.) in June, 1943, and to full Lieutenant on July 1, 1944. He’d been with VC-13 for 19 months. He’s buried in New Castle Cemetery in Newcastle, California. (See Findagrave.com #9376360 for a photo of his grave.)
Aviation Radioman 2C Lloyd Elmer Hay, of Apopka, Fla. AV2C Hay was born April 15, 1921, and is buried at Ft. Donelson National Cemetery in Dover, Tenn. (See Findagrave.com #132967419 for a photo of his grave.)
Aviation Meatelsmith 2C James Wilburn Glover.
Sources:
Newport Mercury, Navy Gives Names Of Missing Flyers” August 4, 1944
Larry Webster, Aviation Historian and Archeologist.
Findagrave.com
South Kingstown, Rhode Island – May 31, 1944
Worden’s Pond
U.S. Navy F6F Hellcat
U.S. Navy photo
At 11:30 a.m. on May 31, 1944, Lt. Jg. Maxwell Michaux Corpening, Jr., 24, was killed when the U.S. Navy F6F-5 Hellcat, (Bu. No. 58317), he was piloting crashed in Worden’s Pond during a training flight.
Lt. (jg.) Corpening was part of a flight of seven Hellcats practicing dive bombing techniques. According to the U.S. Navy Accident Report, after the fourth dive, the formation was joined by “three strange planes” that were “seen to dive from above and maneuver in weaving stern attacks on the Hellcats, who were in extended column formation. The flight leader continued to circle and climb as any further bombing runs would have been inadvisable while the other planes were mixed in the formation.”
The “strange planes” are not identified, however their actions led to the breakup of the formation, which led to a mid-air collision between Lt. (jg.) Corpening’s aircraft and another Hellcat. The other Hellcat was able to land safely at Groton Naval Auxiliary Air Field.
Lt. Corpening’s parents lived in Brookdale, Maryland.
Sources:
U.S. Navy Accident Report #44-44697, dated May 31, 1944
North Kingstown, Rhode Island, death records. (Many navy deaths during WWII were recorded in North Kingstown, (Not South Kingstown) because Quonset Point NAS was located in North Kingstown.)
Evening Star, (Wash. D. C.), “Lt. M. M. Corpening Killed In Crash Of Navy Plane”, June 2, 1944, page A-4
Hillsgrove Airport – May 14, 1947
Warwick, Rhode Island
On the afternoon of May 14, 1947, a Bell helicopter containing a student pilot and an instructor took off from Hillsgrove Airport in Warwick. (Today the airport is known as T. F. Green) Just after take off, according to witnesses, the aircraft was about 200 feet in the air when one of the rotor blades suddenly broke away.
The helicopter fell and burst into flame. Two women who witnessed the crash, Mrs. George Page, and Mrs. William Buell, ran to the site and managed to pull one of the men from the wreckage. Unfortunately, despite the rescue effort, both men aboard the helicopter perished. They were identified as: Robert F. Chott, 29, of Providence, the instructor, and Gardiner Watts, 27, of Boston, the student.
Sources:
New York Times, “2 In Helicopter Killed” May 15, 1947
Unknown Paper, “Helicopter Crash Kills Two In Mass.”, May 15, 1947. Headline should read R.I., not “Mass.”
The Pawtucket Times, “Copter Parts Studied For Wreck Clues”, May 16, 1947, pg. 9
Niagra Falls Gazette, “Bell Copter Death Case Is Resumed”, November 12, 1955. Article pertains to a lawsuit relating to the accident.
Manchester, Vermont – July 20, 1974
On July 20, 1974, four men took off in a small private airplane from Equinox Airport in Manchester. The plane crashed shortly after takeoff about a quarter of a mile from the airport, taking down some power lines. All four men received various non-life threatening injuries.
Source: Nashua Telegraph, “4 Injured In Vermont Plane Crash”, July 22, 1974, page 32
Connecticut Aircraft Company
Builds Airships For The Navy – 1914
The Connecticut Aircraft Company was established in 1913 and went out of business during the 1920s. It produced airships for the U. S. Navy.
Click on image to enlarge.
Lincoln, Rhode Island – December 18, 1946
On December 18, 1946, William E. Ouger, 19, took off from Fitchburg, Massachusetts, in a Ercoupe monoplane bound for Hillsgrove Airport in Warwick, R.I. As he was passing over northern Rhode Island, he noticed that his aircraft was very low on fuel, so he began looking for a place to land. He spotted Clarke’s Field in Albion section of Lincoln, R. I., and attempted to land there, but he overshot the field and crashed in the middle of the intersection of Manville and Contrexeville Roads. Ougar crawled out of the wrecked airplane virtually unharmed.
The airplane was owned by the Connecticut Aviation Company.
Source:
Woonsocket Call, “Plane crashes On Albion Rd., Pilot Uninjured”, December 18, 1946
Connecticut’s Laws Pertaining To Airships & Airplanes – 1911
Connecticut was the first state to pass laws pertaining to airships and airplanes. The laws took effect June 8, 1911.
Click on images to enlarge.
Some thought the law might not be Constitutional.
In October of 1911 it was ruled by Connecticut’s Attorney General that balloons were not airships, and therefore did not come under the new law.
Ayer, Massachusetts – September 30, 1944
Naval Auxiliary Air Facility
On September 20, 1944, Seaman 1st Class John Harding Bell, 19, was working at the Ayer, Massachusetts, Naval Auxiliary Air Facility when he accidentally backed into a spinning aircraft propeller and was killed.
He was born in Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, and is buried in Fort Leavenworth National Cemetery , Section A, Site 254-A.
The Ayer NAAF was built for the army in 1929, but was turned over to the navy during WWII to support the Squantum Naval Air Station. After the war it reverted back to the army as part of Fort Devens.
Sources:
North Kingstown, Rhode Island, death records #44-77
Findagrave.com memorial # 350676
Wikipedia – Moore Army Airfield
First Aircraft Used In Sea Rescue – 1914
According to the following article, the first time an airplane was used in rescue operation for a ship in distress was in June of 1914, in the waters off Massachusetts.
“…the first time in the history of aviation that an airship has gone to succor a ship at sea.”
The Columbus Commercial, Airship For Sea Rescue” June 14, 1914.
Click on image to enlarge.
For more information about the Burgess-Dunne hydroplane see the following links:
https://books.google.com/books?id=sMw7AQAAMAAJ (click on pages 308 to 310)
https://books.google.com/books?id=rx06AQAAMAAJ (click on page 83)
Charlestown, Rhode Island – March 8, 1946
Early U.S. Navy Helldiver
U.S. Navy Photo
On March 8, 1946, Ensign Clinton Graham Thornton was piloting an SB2C-5 Helldiver, (Bu. No. 89304) on a training flight with five other aircraft. The aircraft were practicing dive-bombing techniques, and Thornton’s aircraft was in the number 2 position in a line of six.
The flight leader was executing a series of maneuvers with the other five planes following behind. At one point Thornton’s Helldiver spun out of control and crashed about 2,000 feet north-east of a church belonging to the Narragansett Indian Tribe. Ensign Thornton was unable to bail out and was killed.
Ensign Thornton was based at Quonset Point, assigned to VT-74.
To see a photo of Ensign Thornton’s grave, click on the link below.
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/102683492/clinton-graham-thornton
Source: Larry Webster, Aviation Historian and Archeologist
Early Aviation Newspaper Articles
Of Newburyport, Massachusetts
The following newspaper articles, culled from various sources, offer a small glimpse of early aviation trials held in Newburyport, Massachusetts.
———-
Successful Aero Flights
New Yorkers Make Several “Runs” with “Flying Fish”
Newburyport, Mass. – April 17. – Over the marshes of Plum Island, the Herring-Burgess aeroplane, “Flying Fish”, made three successful flights today. Arthur M. herring of Hammondsport, N. Y., piloted the machine in the first flight. After alighting easily at the river’s edge after a 250 yards’ run, the craft was turned over to W. Sterling Burgess, who made two short flights.
The Salt Lake Herald-Republican, April 18, 1910.
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Breaks World’s Record
Great Feat Of Burgess Aeroplane In Its Initial Flight
Newburyport, Mass., April 18. – Three successive aeroplane flights by A. M. Herring of New York and W. S. Burgess at Plum Island aviation field Sunday created a record for heavier than air machines when the big machine started on each one of its three flights by its own power in skids while resting on the ground.
The successful flight is the culmination of three years steady planning by the two inventors who made the flights, which marked the opening of the aeroplane era in New England.
Orleans County Monitor, April 20, 1910
———-
Flights By Auto Racer
New Device Works Well On Herring Burgess Aeroplane
Newburyport, Mass., May 13 – William Hilliard, and automobile racer of Boston, made three successful flights in a new Herring-Burgess aeroplane at Plum Island aviation grounds to-day. The machine he used had a new device of his own invention which supplanted the “fins” on the top, and is used to maintain the equilibrium of the machine.
Several hundred yards were covered in each of the three flights, at a height of between fifteen and twenty feet, and during one ascension Hilliard was able to negotiate a complete turn, the first he has been able to make.
New York Tribune, May 14, 1910, page 3
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Flight At Plum Island
Newburyport, Mass., May 24 – The longest aeroplane flight in New England has been made by William Hilliard, of Boston, who went a distance of a third of a mile at Plum Island. The machine worked smoothly and no mishap happened.
The Washington Times, May 24, 1910, Page 13, Last Edition
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Biplane In Several Flights
New Device to Give Lateral Stability Works Well at Plum Island
Newburyport, Mass., May 27 – Several aeroplane flights lasting an hour and a half and covering distances from a quarter to half a mile at an altitude of fifteen feet were made to-day by William Hilliard in a Herring-Burgess biplane at Plum Island aviation grounds. There was a brisk breeze blowing at the time, and it was thought at first the flights would have to be postponed until the air was calmer. Hilliard, it is said, jestingly made a vow last night that he would not eat again until he had made a flight, and he evidently was hungry this morning, for he launched the machine despite the breeze and flew across the meadows.
The biplane has lately been equipped with a new device to give lateral stability. This device is intended especially for use in windy weather, and to-day it had its first real test. the inventor and Mr. Hilliard say that it worked remarkably well.
New York Tribune, May 28, 1910, Page 5.
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Insurance Companies Will Not Accept Risk Of Aviators As Ordinary
Newburyport, June 8. Evidence that insurance companies are not to accept the risk of aviators as ordinary has been revealed here in the case of A. L. Pfitzner of Hammondsport, N.Y., who has been making flights at Plum Island. Pfitzner was visited by an agent of the insurance company Justas he was preparing for a trial of some new skids on a biplane today. The company had heard of the narrow escape of Pfitzner a few days ago when he crashed to the ground from a height of 30 feet. He was obliged to sign a clause absolving the insurance company from liability in case of death while engaged in flying machine flights.
The Bridgeport Evening Farmer, June 8, 1910, Page 5.
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Aviator Pfitzner Makes Flight From Plum Island To Pork Island
Newburyport, Mass., July 8 – A. L. Pfitzner, of Hammondsport, N. Y., made a very successful flight here today in a Burgess biplane, covering a distance of two miles at a height of 100 feet. Pfitzner started from the Plum Island aviation field and landed at Pork Island. The aviator said he could have gone farther but had to descend owing to his engne being overheated. This is the most successful flight at plum Island so far.
Mr. Pfitzner will make another flight this evening in the same machine while William Hilliard of Boston will also make a trip in his aeroplane.
The Bridgeport Evening Farmer, July 8, 1910, Page 4.
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Aviator Falls Into River And Swims Ashore
Newburyport, Mass., July 9 – Following a spectacular three mile flight across Plum Island meadows early today, A. L. Pfitzner, the New York aviator while flying at a height of 75 feet was hurled into Plum Island’s river when the machine which he was operating was capsized by a cross current of air. Mr. Pfitzner swam ashore and went to the aviation shed and an examination disclosed a badly bruised head and it is feared that he is injured internally. He plucklly stayed on the grounds until the remnants of the machine had been hauled from the river, after which he was driven to his quarters at the Plum Island Hotel, two miles distant. But little was left of his machine except the engine. he was using a Curtiss biplane at the time of the accident.
The Bridgeport Evening farmer, July 9, 1910, page 2.
Note: This report of the accident states the aircraft was a “Curtis biplane”. The following report states it was a “Burgess biplane”
———-
Fell 75 Feet
Newburyport, Mass., July 9 – Following a spectacular three mile flight across Plum Island meadow today, A. L. Pfitsnor (Name misspelled – should be “Pfitzner”) of New York, flying at a height of seventy-five feet in a Burgess biplane, was hurled into Plum Island river. The machine capsized in air currents. It is feared he is internally injured.
The Fairmont West Virginian, July 9, 1910, Page 6.
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Quonset Point Naval Air Station – April 6, 1945
North Kingstown, Rhode Island
U.S. Navy TBM Avengers
National Archives Photo
On April 6, 1945, two TBM Avengers assigned to Night Torpedo Squadron 55 at Quonset Point, were taking off at the same time for a night training mission when they collided at the intersection of runways 19 and 28.
Lt. Jg. John Frederick Kalb, 25, of West Helena, Arkansas, in aircraft #46123, was killed.
Lt. Jg. W. F. Leeker in aircraft #16885, was seriously injured, but survived.
Night Torpedo Squadron 55 was commissioned at Quonset Point NAS on March 1, 1945. The squadron’s first fatal accident occurred not long afterwards on March 9, 1945, when Lt. Jg. Harold Boren was killed when his plane crashed in Westerly, Rhode Island, during an instrument training flight.
For more information about Night Torpedo Squadron 55 see the website; vtn55.org
Sources:
North Kingstown, Rhode Island, death records #45-30
Night Torpedo Squadron 55 history
West Greenwich, Rhode Island – April 24, 1946
On April 24, 1946, two navy F4U Corsairs on a training flight out of Quonset Point NAS were involved in a mid-air collision over West Greenwich. Moments later, the pilot of one plane bailed out. His Corsair, (81416), came down onto a house and exploded, killing a mother and her 2-year-old son.
Despite a damaged wing, the pilot of the other Corsair, (81312), managed to make it back to the Quonset Naval Air Station.
Both planes were assigned to VBF-82.
The dead were identified as Mrs. Eva Parenteau, 30, and her son Raymond. Mrs. Parenteau’s other two children, Phillip, 9, and Joseph, 8, were playing in a nearby yard at the time and weren’t injured.
Source: Woonsocket Call, “Mother, Baby Killed, Plane Crash Probed”, April 25, 1946, Pg. 1
An Unusual Balloon Flight – 1910
At 1:30 p.m., on November 29, 1910, the balloon Cleveland ascended from Pittsfield, Massachusetts with four men aboard. There was the pilot, A. L. Stevens, and with him were three passengers, L. M. Taylor, M. M. Morris, both of New York City, and S. F. Beckwith, of Garrison, N.Y.
The balloon drifted westward and passed from Massachusetts to New York. While over the Hudson River the aeronauts encountered a blinding snowstorm. As if that wasn’t perilous enough, a huge flock of geese, estimated by the men to contain a thousand birds, suddenly encountered the balloon and began bumping and scraping against it, threatening to put holes in the fabric. The birds began to panic, for the swirling wind left them as helpless as the airmen, and for nearly an hour the flock surrounded the balloon honking and squawking the whole time.
At one point a goose crashed into the men in the basket, where one of them captured it.
The ordeal ended almost as suddenly as it began and the balloon landed in the town of Amenia, New York, at 5:45 p.m., 44 miles from Pittsfield.
Source:
Boston Evening Transcript, “Ballooning in 1910”, by William Carroll Hill, January 4, 1910.
Transatlantic Air Traffic Prediction – 1913
The following article appeared in the Essex County Herald, July 18, 1913.
Click on image to enlarge.
Narragansett Bay – September 1, 1944
On September 1, 1944, Lt. Charles W. Turner took off from Hillsgrove Army Air Field in a P-47D Thunderbolt, (42-8666) for a routine training flight. At some point the aircraft developed engine trouble and Turner was forced to make a belly landing in the water about 3/4 of a mile off Conimicut Point, between the Conimicut and Pomham light houses.
As the plane sank, Turner scrambled out and inflated his life vest which kept him afloat in the chilly water. As luck would have it, he landed near a boat with two teenagers inside, Amy Heddenberg, 15, and William Smythe, 16, who quickly rescued the downed airman.
Turner was brought ashore at the foot of Stokes Street in Warwick, where he was met by Warwick police patrolman Albert Izzi who brought the pilot back to Hillsgrove. Turner was standing before his commanding officer before rescue parties from Hillsgrove had reached the shore.
The plane was wrecked, but Turner was unhurt.
Source:
Providence Journal, “Army Pilot Unhurt In Crash Into Bay”, September 2, 1944, Pg. 3
Missing Aircraft – November 28, 1964
On November 28, 1964, a blue and white Cessna with four Rhode Island men aboard left North Philadelphia bound for Hillsgrove Airport, in Warwick, Rhode Island, and vanished en-route. (Hillsgrove Airport is today known as T.F. Green Airport.)
And extensive land and sea search was conducted, and included all areas between Atlantic City, New Jersey, to all across Connecticut, and Rhode Island. Both military and Civil Air Patrol aircraft took part. Police agencies were notified to be on the alert.
At one point it was thought the wreckage of the plane had been spotted from the air in a wooded area of Bozrah, Connecticut, however what was thought to be the airplane was actually an old abandoned car.
On December 6 and 7 heavy snow blanketed the region hindering further search efforts.
Despite the best efforts to locate the plane, no trace of it was ever found, and it was speculated that the aircraft may have gone down in the ocean.
The missing men were identified as:
Pilot: Eugene Simoneau, 35, of Crasnton, R.I.
Ralph H. Worrall, 42, of Warwick, R.I.
Edward M. Balkin, 46, of Warwick, R.I.
Edward Underhill, 47, of Warwick, R.I.
Sources:
Woonsocket Call, “4 RI Men Missing In Small Plane”, November 30, 1964
The Morning Record, “Thousands Powerless In Wake Of Blizzards”, December 8, 1964
The Daily Register, “Small Plane Still Missing”, December 3, 1964, Section 2, page 1
City of Warwick, Rhode Island, vital records.
WWII Civil Air Patrol Insignia
WWII Civil Air Patrol Insignia
East Greenwich, Rhode Island – May 16, 1944
Near the Exeter town line, off Shippey Road
Updated December 8, 2018
F6F Hellcat
U.S. Navy Photo
At 10:50 a.m. on the morning of May 16, 1944, Lt. Cmdr. David Wooster Taylor, Jr., 32, took off from Quonset Point Naval Air Station in a F6F-3 Hellcat (Bu. No. 41944) for a routine training mission. Fifteen minutes later his aircraft was observed by witnesses on the ground to be at about 3,000 feet and flying level when it suddenly went onto a spinning dive from which it did not recover. Lt. Cmdr. Taylor was killed when his aircraft crashed and burned at the Sunset Valley Reservation in East Greenwich. The cause of the crash was not stated in newspapers.
Due to the complete destruction of the aircraft investigators were not able to determine an exact cause for the accident.
Lt. Cmdr. Taylor was reportedly survived by his wife Virginia, and two young children, Jean, 4, and David, 3.
A housing development now stands on the site where this accident took place.
Lt. Cmdr. Taylor was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross while assigned to the aircraft carrier USS Ranger (CV-4) for his part in an attack against enemy shipping off Bodo, Norway, on October 4, 1943.
To learn more about Lt. Cmdr. Taylor, and to see a photo of him, go to https://usnamemorialhall.org/index.php/DAVID_W._TAYLOR,_JR.,_LCDR,_USN
Sources:
Woonsocket Call, “Lt. Cmdr. D. W. Taylor Killed In Plane Crash”, May 17, 1944, Pg. 1
North Kingstown, Rhode Island, death records
The Standard, “Quonset Pilot Falls To Death”, May 18, 1944
U. S. Navy Crash report, #44-14197
Westborough, Massachusetts – July 13, 1941
On July 13, 1941, a small passenger plane with three people aboard took off from Westborough Airport (a.k.a. Westboro Airport) and crashed about one mile from the airport. The cause of the crash was not given, and all three aboard received various injuries.
Those aboard the plane were identified as John Griffin and his wife Alden, both of Worcester, and the pilot, Lucien Desjardin, of Shrewsbury.
Source: The Lewiston Daily Sun, “Three Hurt In Plane Crash At Westboro”, July 14, 1941
Salisbury Beach, Massachusetts – July 10, 1920
Town of Salisbury, Mass.
Updated January 18, 2017
On July 10, 1920, a small aircraft with three people aboard was on a sightseeing flight over Hampton and Salisbury beaches. The pilot, Lieutenant Gordon L. Groah, of Lynn, Mass., routinely used this route for his sightseeing and exhibition flights. The two passengers included Mrs. Richard H. Long, of Framingham, the wife of a prominent Massachusetts politician, and an aircraft mechanic from Pittsfield, Mass., who’s first name was Gaston, but there seems to be some confusion as to his last name. Sources have spelled it Gornet, Cornet, Corrinet, and Gornorinett.
As the aircraft was at an altitude of several hundred feet over Salisbury Beach, it suddenly went into a dive and crashed on the beach in view of hundreds of beachgoers. The mechanic leaped from the plane a second before it hit the ground, thus receiving minor injuries and saving his life. Mrs. Long and Lieutenant Groah were pulled from the wreckage and rushed to Anna Jacques Hospital in nearby Newburyport, Mass., where they succumbed to their injuries.
Richard H. Long, had been a Democratic candidate for Governor of Massachusetts, in 1919.
The following item was found in February 5, 1920 edition of The Iron Trade Review on page 450.
“Boston – The Massachusetts Aircraft Corp. has been incorporated to build airplanes with $25,000 capital by Gordon L. Groah, Lynn, Mass.: John J. Hayes, Somerville, Mass., and M. G. McCarthy.”
Sources:
Burlington Weekly Free Press, “Mrs. R.H. Long Killed In Plane Accident”, July 15, 1920, pg. 7
New York Tribune, “Two Killed When Plane Falls At Salisbury Beach”, July 11, 1920
Evening Star, (Washington, DC), “Two Die In Air Crash”, July 11, 1920
Washington Herald, (Wash. DC), “Politicians Wife Killed In Crash”, July 11, 1920
Charlestown, Rhode Island – May 14, 1944
F6F Hellcat
U.S. Navy Photo
On May 14, 1944, Ensign James Patrick Gannon, 22, of Jersey City, N.J., was flying an F6F-3N Hellcat, (Bu. No. 42389) practicing dive bombing at Worden’s Pond in Charlestown, R.I., when according to a witness, “something white” fell away from his plane. The Hellcat then went into a roll and dove into the ground. Gannon was killed instantly.
The cause of the crash was never determined.
Ensign Gannon is buried in Holy Cross Cemetery in North Arlington, New Jersey. To see a photo of him click on the link below.
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/146286193/james-patrick-gannon
Sources:
Hudson Dispatch, “Two Jersey City Fliers Killed In Plane Crashes”, May 16, 1944
North Kingstown, Rhode Island, death records
This water-filled crater in the woods of Charlestown, R.I., is where a navy Hellcat fighter crashed on May 14, 1944.
Dorchester Bay – July 16, 1944
F6F Hellcat
U.S. Navy Photo
On July 16, 1944, Ensign William Oran Seymour Jr., 23, was piloting an F6F-5 Hellcat,(Bu. No. 58882), with other aircraft based at the Squantum Naval Air Station, on an air-to-air target practice mission over Dorchester Bay. (Seymour’s aircraft was assigned to tow a cloth target sleeve behind it while other aircraft took turns making attack runs.)
Afterwards, as the planes returned to Squantum in preparation for landing, the engine of Seymour’s Hellcat began misfiring. Being over a heavily populated area, the pilot opted to stay with the aircraft rather than bail out. The plane rapidly lost altitude as it passed over Dorchester’s Savin Hill neighborhood, heading towards Malibu Beach where the pilot hoped to make an emergency landing. Unfortunately, it being a hot summer day, the beach was crowded with roughly 3,000 people. As Seymour approached the beach at barely 100 feet off the ground, his vision of the crowd was blocked by a sea wall. It wasn’t until the last second that he saw all the people and quickly yanked the Hellcat towards the water. He crashed about 200 yards from shore in about 15 feet of water.
One lifeguard who witnessed the accident later told reporters, “It hit first on the left wing, because he swung away from the beach sharply to avoid striking the crowd. It snapped over so fast that it went end over end, and then the fuselage seemed to crumple up and the plane sank.”
Several men swam out to the spot where the Hellcat went down in an attempt to rescue the airman, but they were unsuccessful. Seymour’s body was later recovered by men from the crash-rescue boat sent form Squantum.
Ensign Seymour was born in Monroe, North Carolina, and graduated Valedictorian of his high school class in 1938. He volunteered for the navy in July of 1942, and received his pilot’s wings and Ensign’s commission on October 9, 1943. He is buried in Monroe Cemetery.
For his actions and quick thinking in sacrificing himself in order to save others, he was posthumously awarded a Presidential Citation and the Navy & Marine Corps medal for bravery.
He was assigned to Fighter Squadron 45, (VF-45)
Sources:
NAS Squantum: The First Naval Air Reserve Base, by Marc Frattasio (Pgs. 218-219)
The Boston Post, (No headline available) Monday, July 17, 1944
The Gold Star Mothers Homepage – William O. Seymour, Jr.
U.S. Navy Accident Report dated July 16, 1944
Wickford, Rhode Island – December 8, 1943
On December 8, 1943, a U.S. Navy SB2C-1C Helldiver, (#18272) crashed in the woods behind the Wickford Barracks of the Rhode Island State Police. According to one witness, the aircraft had a broken wing as it fell. The pilot was killed.
The pilot was Ross Allen Bennett, 22, of Amarillo, Texas. He’s buried in Llano Cemetery in Amarillo.
Source: Larry Webster, Aviation Archeologist and Historian.
Westborough, Massachusetts – October 29, 1933
On October 29, 1933, a passenger plane with four people aboard took off from Westborough Airport (a.k.a. Westboro Airport) bound for Worcester. Shortly after take off the plane went into a steep dive during which a large piece of wing fabric was ripped away. The plane crashed within inches of a farm house, and all aboard were killed. There were no injuries to anyone on the ground.
The dead were identified as: Oliver H. Walton, 34, and his wife Ruth, 34, both of Needham, Mass.; Clarence E. heath, 25, of Dedham, Mass.; and George F. Chapman, 35, of Walpole, Mass.
Westboro Airport closed in the 1970s.
Sources: Nashua Telegraph, “Four Die In Massachusetts Plane Crash”, October 31, 1933. (Photo of wreck.)
The Lewiston Daily Sun, “Four Killed In Plane Crash At Westboro, Mass.” October 30, 1933
Newburyport, Massachusetts – July 9, 1910
On July 9, 1910, Hungarian aviator, Lieutenant Alexander L. Pfitzner, 30, was test flying a “Flying Fish” model Burgess aircraft over Newburyport when at an altitude of about 100 feet the aircraft was suddenly caught by a strong cross-wind and went down in the Plumb Island River. Fortunately the tide was out and the water relatively shallow, and Pfitzner was able to extricate himself and make his way to shore.
A “Flying Fish” was a pusher-type biplane built by Burges Aircraft’s Marbelhead factory. (See The Massachusetts Aviation Historical Society website for more information about this type of aircraft.) www.massaerohistory.org
Lt. Pfitzner was a graduate of the universities in Charlotttenburg and Budapest, where he majored in engineering. After graduating, he served in the Hungarian military as an artillery officer before coming to America about 1902. He immigrated to New York, and became involved with aircraft design at the Herring-Curtis Aeroplane Company at Hammondsport, New York. He helped design the engine used in the aircraft Glenn Curtis flew when he won the James Gordon Bennet Cup at Rheims, France, in 1909. That same year Lt. Pfitzner came to Marblehead, Massachusetts, to serve as Superintendent overseeing the manufacture of Burgess-Curtis airplanes. In that capacity, he made about 40 test flights from Plum Island in Newburyport, Mass.
The aircraft flown by Lt. Pfitzner was repaired, and later involved in another accident on August 4, 1910. On that date, William Bowman crashed just after takeoff at Newburyport from an altitude of 60 feet and was seriously injured.
Sources:
(Woonsocket, R.I.) Evening Call, “Flying Machine Drops Into River”, July 9, 1910, Pg. 1
New York Tribune, “Aviator Takes His Life”, July 13, 1910
The Bridgeport Evening Farmer, “Hurt In Aeroplane Crash, Bowman May Die” August 4, 1910, Pg. 4
Tiverton, Rhode Island – June 14, 1943
Updated April 27, 2016
On June 14, 1943, a Corsair I on loan to the British Navy, (#JT-110), piloted by British aviator Lieutenant Anthony Max Leslie Harris, crashed into a wooded area near the Old Stone Church Cemetery in the Adamsville section of Tiverton, R.I. The plane exploded on impact and Harris was killed.
Harris was a member of the Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve serving at Quonset Point Naval Air Station.
Lt. Harris is buried in Island cemetery in Newport, Rhode Island. To see a photo of his grave go to www.findagrave.com, Memorial #15037581
Sources;
Woonsocket Call, “British Aviators Named In R. I. Fatal Crashes”, June 17, 1943, Pg1.
Larry Webster, Aviation Archeologist & Historian
www.findagrave.com
Caledonia County Fair, Vermont – Aeroplane Advertisement
This ad appeared in the Orleans County Monitor, September 7, 1910.
Click on image to enlarge.
Manchester, New Hampshire – November 8, 1944
U.S. Navy Avengers
National Archives Photo
On November 8, 1944, a TBM-1C Avenger, (Bu. No. 16890) crashed while flying a bombing practice mission over Manchester, New Hampshire. The pilot and one crewman aboard were killed.
(Pilot) Ensign William E. Ames.
AEM2C Sherman Eugene Dietz Jr., age 24. He’s buried at Assumption Cemetery in Syracuse, new York.
Sources:
NAS Squantum: The First Naval Air Reserve Base, (pg. 218-219) by Marc Frattasio
Findagrave.com
Warwick, Rhode Island – April 6, 1943
On April 6, 1943, a U.S. Army P-47C (41-6321) was coming in to land at Hillsgrove Army Air Field when the pilot overshot the runway and crashed into a private home at 252 Strawberry Field Road. The plane tore into the structure seriously injuring a 70-year-old woman sitting in the living room. Her two grandchildren had just left the room and gone into the kitchen moments before the crash occurred. They were not injured.
The pilot had shut off the engine just before striking the house thereby averting a fire. He crawled from the cockpit with only a scratch to the back of his neck. He was assigned to the 340th Fighter Squadron, 348th Fighter Group.
The house suffered extensive damage and was knocked off its foundation.
Sources:
Pawtucket Times, “Woman Hurt As Plane Rips Into Dwelling”, April 7, 1943, Pg. 1
Providence Journal, “Army Plane Smashes House In Warwick; Woman Injured”, April 7, 1943, Pg. 1
Westborough, MA – August 4, 1936
On the evening of August 4, 1936, a small plane with three people aboard was attempting to land at Westborough Airport (a.k.a. Westboro Airport) during a thunderstorm when it crashed in a nearby field.
The injured were identified as: Mr. and Mrs. Vincent P. Wilbur, of Boston, and Dorothy Dunham, of Schenectady, New York. All were taken to Memorial Hospital in Worcester with serious injuries.
The airport ceased operations in the 1970s.
Source: The Lewiston Daily Sun, “Three Hurt When Plane Crashes At Westboro”, August 4, 1936
Rutland, Vermont – September 2, 1913
Vintage Post Card View Of The Rutland Fairgrounds.
On September 2, 1913, early Vermont aviator George Schmidt, 23, of Rutland, took off at the Rutland Fairgrounds for an exhibition flight. With him was Assistant Municipal Court Judge J. Dryer Spellman, 22, also of Rutland. As the plane reached an altitude of about 500 feet the motor began to skip and miss-fire. As Schmidt was returning to the open field of the fairgrounds the plane suddenly fell and crashed to the ground.
Both pilot and passenger were trapped in the wreckage. George Schmidt had suffered a fractured skull, hip, and jaw, and died before he could be extricated. Spellman was pinned against the aircraft’s hot radiator, and although he suffered burns, he recovered from the ordeal.
George and his brother Charles are credited as being Vermont’s first aviators. In August of 1910 they made news when they purchased a Curtis-type biplane, and it was noted that at the age of 18, George was “probably the youngest aviator in the country.”
The following article appeared on page 3 of the Orleans County Monitor, August 10, 1910.
Click on images to enlarge.
According to Charles Schmidt, George Schmidt made his first airplane flight from the Rutland fairgrounds on September 1, 1910. Today there is a memorial at the entrance fairgrounds honoring both brothers as the first active aviators in Vermont.
Sources:
Aero and Hydro (magazine), “Brother Describes Schmidt Accident”, September 27, 1913, page 484, (Volume VI, No. 26.)
New York Herald, “Aviator Killed In Fall”, September 3, 1913
www.vermont.gov Aviation – Agency of transportation
Warwick, Rhode Island – November 2, 1942
Curtis P-40 Aircraft
U. S. Army Air Corps Photo
On November 2, 1942, two U.S. Army P-40 fighter planes, based at Hillsgrove Army Air Field in Warwick, were on a training flight over Narragansett Bay when they collided in mid-air.
One plane, (41-14183), piloted by Staff Sgt. John W. Smallsreed, 21, of Newton Falls, Ohio, suffered minor damage and was able to return safely to Hillsgrove.
The second plane, (41-14135), piloted by 2nd Lt. William H. Pierson, 23, of Chicago, suffered heavy wing damage, and he was forced to bail out. After the bailout, Pierson’s plane continued on and crashed in the center of the intersection of Barton Street and Grand Avenue in the Warwick Neck section of the city.
The aircraft narrowly missed an automobile being driven by Edward W. Thurber of Pawtuxet. The explosion of the P-40’s impact spewed debris and gasoline onto his car setting it on fire. Thurber, not knowing for sure what had just happened, jumped from his flaming car and allowed it to roll down a hill where it came to rest in a vacant lot and continued to burn.
A home at 49 Barton Avenue was also set on fire, but the owner was able to extinguish the flames with a garden hose.
Mrs. Forrest B. Morgan of Grand Avenue told reporters that she had been standing where the plane crashed for twenty minutes waiting for her daughter. She had just started back towards her home when the plane hit and was not injured.
Meanwhile, Lt. Pierson was seen landing in Narragansett Bay where he disappeared after hitting the water. Four volunteer firemen from the Conimicut Fire Department launched a boat to rescue Pierson, but needed to be rescued themselves when their boat capsized in the rough water.
Some reports were later received that Pearson had been rescued, but these were found to be in error. He was officially reported as “missing”.
Harry Robbins, an eye witness to the crash, told reporters, “One (plane) passed under the other and the two wings hit. The bottom plane turned over a couple of times, the pilot jumped out, and one wing started to smoke. Then the plane made two wide circles and I saw it coming towards me. The explosion it made when it landed was deafening.”
Lt. Pierson’s body was later recovered on November 30th. He’s buried in Oak Woods Cemetery in Chicago. https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/76339168/william-h-pierson
S/Sgt. Smallsreed was later promoted to the rank of Lieutenant. He died in North Africa on May 23, 1943. To see a photo of him click on the link. https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/56250377/john-w-smallsreed
Source:
Providence Journal, “Two Army Planes Collide Over Bay; One Pilot Missing”, November 3, 1942, Pg. 1
Connecticut’s Airship Service Station – 1920
The following article appeared in the Norwich Bulletin, March 2, 1920, Pg. 1.
Click on image to enlarge.
Exeter, Rhode Island – September 8, 1943
Updated March 9, 2018
F4U Corsair
US Navy Photo
Navy pilot Ensign Robert R. Hirshkind was killed instantly when his F4U-1 Corsair, (Bu. No. 02368), crashed on the farm of Wallace Foster in the town of Exeter, R. I. Ensign Hirshkind had been on a formation training flight out of Quonset Point Naval Air Station when the accident occurred. Approximately 12 miles south-west of Wickford the flight encountered thick overcast that dropped nearly to the ground. The accident occurred as the flight was descending through the overcast on instruments.
Ensign Hirshkind was assigned to Night Fighter Squadron 75, (VF(n)-75).
Sources:
The Standard, “Exeter Plane Crash Kills Navy Pilot”, September 9, 1943, Pg. 8
U.S. Navy Accident report, #44-8367, dated September 8, 1943
West Haven, Connecticut – August 17, 1907
Updated February 7, 2018
On August 17, 1907, Theodore French, a young aeronaut from New Haven, Connecticut, was scheduled to give a parachute performance at Savin Rock in West Haven. Three weeks earlier, he’d accepted a dare to go up in a balloon and be shot out of a seven-foot long tin “cannon”, and parachute to the ground. On that occasion he landed safely. On this day the performance was to be repeated, but with a slight change. This time, the cannon would drop away from the balloon, it’s descent slowed by a parachute. Then, as the cannon floated towards the ground, French would be shoot out of it, and land via use of a second parachute attached to his body.
When the balloon had reached a height of about 2,600 feet the cannon was cut loose, and reportedly “swung clumsily” before French was discharged. Once free of the cannon, French’s parachute failed to open, and he plummeted downward landing on the roof of a nearby piano factory and was killed instantly. The cannon came down a few feet away.
It was reported that Theodore’s father, Robert French, was the Chief of Police in New Haven, Connecticut. Some sources put Theodore’s age at 19, others at 20.
Sources:
Topeka State Journal, “He Drops To Death”, August 19, 1907
(A London England Newspaper) The Age, “Aeronaut Killed – Parachute Fails To Open” August 21, 1907
Taranaki Herald, “Aeronaut Killed – Failure Of A Parachute”, August 20, 1907
Evening Post, “Dashed To Pieces – Fate Of Aeronaut”, August 20, 1907, Page 7
New York Times, “Half-Mile Fall From Sky Kills Boy”, August 18, 1907.
First Airplane To Be Insured In Connecticut – 1911
The following article appeared in The Bridgeport Evening Farmer, June 13, 1911, Pg. 5
Click on image to enlarge.
Scituate, Rhode Island – June 17, 1943
P-47C Thunderbolt
U.S. Air Force Photo
On June 17, 1943, a group of four army P-47 fighter aircraft left Hillsgrove Air Field in Warwick, R.I., for a training flight. After an hour of flight time, the plane flown by 2nd Lt. Robert W. Powell developed engine trouble. After notifying the flight leader of his situation his engine failed completely, and he was forced to “belly land” in an open field off Darby Road in the town of Scituate, R.I. In coming down, the plane clipped the top of a tree, and skidded into a stone wall surrounded by brush. The plane remained upright, and there was no fire. Lt. Powell was relatively uninjured.
One interesting footnote to this incident is the area in which this crash occurred. Few people know that during World War II the former Suddard farm on Darby Road was the site of a top secret radio monitoring post, protected by armed guards, and staffed 24 hours a day by people tasked with listening to radio transmissions all over the world. For some unexplained reason, this area of Scituate is capable of doing so.
The site was established in March of 1941, and remained in operation throughout the war. It was credited for saving the Queen Mary with 10,000 troops aboard, and for preventing Japanese attempts to bomb American soil using hot air balloons.
Of course, Lt. Powell had no idea of this when he made his unexpected landing just down the street.
Powell’s aircraft was a P-47C Ser# 41-6132, assigned to the 58th Fighter Group, 311th Fighter Squadron.
Another footnote: This was not Lt. Powell’s only forced landing. On October 21, 1944, he and seven other P-47 pilots were forced to ditch in the water when low on fuel after an attack mission. Powell’s plane’s serial number was 43-25636.
Sources:
U.S. Army Crash Investigation report #43-6-7-14
Providence Journal, “Army Plane Lands In Scituate Field”, June 18, 1943, Pg. 4.
P-47 Ditching Story, www.pbyrescue.com/stories/p47_story.htm
Woodstock, Connecticut – September 16, 1913
Updated April 30, 2017
Woodstock, Conn. Fair Advertisement
Putnam Patriot – 1913
On September 16, 1913, 12-year-old George Bernier of Mechanicsville, Connecticut, was attending the annual Woodstock Fair in the town of Woodstock. One attraction at the fair was to be a balloon ascension and parachute drop. As preparations for the ascent were being made, a call went out for volunteers to hold ropes attached to the balloon to keep it earthbound until the signal to let go was given. George was one of the volunteers who stepped forward and took hold of a rope. When the signal to let go was finally given, George released his hold, but the rope somehow became entangled around his left leg and he was jerked skyward as the balloon rose into the air.
Despite shouts form the crowd of spectators, the man piloting the balloon seemed unaware of what was happening. As the balloon continued to rise, George was seen trying to grasp the rope with his hands, but fell away when the balloon reached a height of about 500 feet, and landed in front of the grandstand.
George’s parents sued for negligence, and filed suit against the Woodstock Agricultural Society and the balloon operator. The civil trial took place in the neighboring town of Putnam in March of 1914. Witnesses for both the plaintiffs and the defense testified, some among them had been standing nearby when George was swept upwards. Others included George’s cousin, Frank Bernier, and a family friend, both of whom had accompanied George to the fair, and one man who was an amateur photographer from Putnam, who happened to take a picture while the balloon was about 300 feet in the air with George dangling underneath. The photo was submitted as evidence.
After deliberation, the jury found no blame with the Woodstock Agricultural Society or with the balloon’s pilot.
According to www.findagrave.com, George is buried in St. Mary’s Cemetery in Putnam, Connecticut. Newspaper accounts gave his age was 13, but testimony given by his mother at the civil trial stated he was 12 years and nine months old.
Sources:
Putnam Patriot, (Putnam, CT.), “Fell Five Hundred Feet From Balloon”, September 19, 1913, pg. 1
Putnam Patriot,(Putnam, CT.), “Bernier Case – Claim $10,000 For Life Of Boy killed At Fair”, March 27, 1914, pg. 1
Putnam Patriot, (Putnam, CT.), “Woodstock People – Pleased At Jury’s Verdict In Bernier Case”, April 3, 1914, pg. 1
Norwich Bulletin, (Norwich, CT.), “Charge of Negligence”, March 25, 1914
The Hawiian Gazette, “Boy Loses Life In Balloon Accident”, September 30, 1913, Pg. 2
The Citizen, (Honesdale, Penn.), “Boy Drops 500 Feet To Death”, September 19, 1913
Revere Beach, Massachusetts – July 9, 1912
On July 9, 1912, Farnum T. Fish, was piloting a bi-plane over Revere Beach, flying from one end to the other, with his passenger, famous Pawtucket, R.I. aviator, John F. McGee. At one point a wing dipped and touched the waves, causing the plane to plunge into the water and tossing the occupants forty feet. The plane suffered damage to the tail and propeller, but Fish and McGee were generally unhurt.
Source: Boston Evening Transcript,”Aviator Fish Gets Wet”, July 10, 1912, Pg. 24
Warwick, Rhode Island – April 12, 1943
P-47C Thunderbolt
U.S. Air Force Photo
On the morning of April 12, 1943, four army P-47C Thunderbolts took off from Hillsgrove Army Air Field in Warwick for a formation training flight. The flight leader was 2nd Lt. Eldred G. Howard, with 2nd Lt. Gordon M. Kimpel in the number two position, followed by 2nd Lt. John H. Schrik, and 2nd Lt. Clifton D. Wheeler Jr.
While flying an extended string formation at 8,000 feet, Lt. Howard pulled upwards expecting the other three planes to follow. Lt. Kimpel followed, but the sun temporarily blinded him causing him to loose sight of Howard. Kimpel’s aircraft (41-6634) then crashed into the rear of Howard’s (41-6174).
Howard’s plane went straight down into Narragansett Bay off an area known as “Sally Rocks” killing him. An employee of the Harris & Parson Shipyard saw the plane crash into the water and immediately set out in a boat but couldn’t locate the pilot. He marked the approximate location with a buoy.
Meanwhile Kimpel’s P-47 crashed in a swampy area off Cowesett Avenue in the Cowesett section of Warwick and started a raging forest fire. Kimpel managed to bail out, but was struck by the rear stabilizer of his plane and killed. His body came down in a small pond near Meunier’s Shell Fish Company at Arnold’s Neck.
Exploding ammunition and numerous spectators hampered fire fighting efforts.
In his witness statement given later to army investigators, Lt. Schrik stated: “On April 12th, I was flying in a formation consisting of Lts. Howard, Wheeler, Kimpel, and myself. The time was approximately 0845. I saw Lt. Howard’s and Lt. Kimpel’s planes collide and Lt. Howard’s plane went almost straight down. I saw the plane hit the water and disappear. As I was watching the plane during its entire descent, I know that Lt. Howard did not bail out or jump from the plane.”
Lt. Wheeler related the following in his statement. “On April 12th, at approximately 0845, I was flying in a formation consisting of Lts. Howard, Kimpel, Schrik and myself. I saw Lt. Howard’s and Lt. Kimpel’s planes collide. Lt. Howard’s plane went straight down at an angle of about 35 degrees in a south easterly direction. I saw the plane hit the water and know that Lt. Howard did not bail out or get out of the plane, as I watched it during the entire descent. The plane disappeared immediately upon hitting the water.”
As a footnote to this incident, Lt. John H. Schrik did not survive the war. He was killed in action in New Guinea on August 15, 1943, and is buried in Mount Emblem Cemetery, Elmhurst, Illinois. https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/14637040/john-h-schrik
To see a photo of Lt. Gordon Kimpel click here: https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/168830355/gordon-kimpel
Lieutenant Howard was from Detroit, Michigan.
Sources:
Pawtucket Times, “Pilot Is Killed In Plane Crash”, April 12, 1943, Pg. 1
The Rhode Island Pendulum, “Pursuit Plane Crash Sets Off Forest Blaze In Cowesett Area”, April 15, 1943, page 8.
U.S. Army Crash Investigation Report # 43-4-12-7
Website: Find-A-Grave – John H. Schrik
The North Adams Transcript, (Mass.) “Fear 2 Pilots Dead In Crash Of Planes”, April 13, 1943, pg. 1
Atlantic Ocean – June 6, 1939
On June 6, 1939, a 22-year-old student flier from Carlisle, Penn., rented an aircraft (NC220-70) and took off for what he later claimed to be a flight to “the planet Mars”. At one point he stopped n Hallowell, Penn., to refuel, before heading out over the Atlantic Ocean.
When he was about 175 miles east-southeast off the coast of Cape Cod, Massachusetts, he encountered the fishing trawler Villanova, and circled the ship a few times before dropping a note attached to an empty five-gallon fuel can. The note asked the ship’s captain to indicate the way towards land. Captain Astman Bjartmarz ordered the letters “W N W” painted on the roof of the pilot house, but before a crewman could complete the job the plane disappeared into the high clouds.
Less than an hour later the plane returned and came down in the water at Lat. 42.08, Long. 66.42. The pilot managed to escape the plane before it sank, and he was rescued by the Villanova. Once aboard he was treated for shock and hypothermia, but was otherwise uninjured.
The pilot told the crew he’d been flying blind all night, and that a fuel line rupture between the reserve and main tank had made it necessary to land in the water. When asked where he’d been heading, he replied that he was trying to get to the planet Mars.
The Villanova began dragging its nets and managed to snag and recover the aircraft, which it took in tow to Boston. When the ship arrived the Boston police were waiting.
Source: New York Times, “Flier Saved From Sea Gives Mars As Aim”, June 7, 1939
First Airplane Built In Vermont – 1910
The following article appeared on page 7 in the Barre Daily Times, August 30, 1910.
Vermont’s First Aeroplane
C. C. Bonnette’s aeroplane, the first to be constructed in this state, is nearly ready for trial at his home in Passumpsic. The ship is one of the Curtis type of biplanes, 24 feet overall and is equipped with a 40-60-horse-power engine. Total weight of the machine and driver is a little over 600 pounds, and Mr. Bonnette is confident that he will succeed. Mr. Bonnette built the aeroplane last winter, and it has been examined by experts from different parts of the country, who have pronounced it the best model they have ever seen. Because it was the first airship constructed in the state, Mr. Bonnette names it “Vermont No. 1”. Since he was a young man he has made over 1,500 balloon ascensions, frequently giving exhibitions at fairs. In Rochester, N.Y. a few years ago, he fell 100 feet, breaking one leg, one arm, and suffering a concussion of the brain. His wife, who used to accompany him on his ascensions, is now an invalid as a result of a fall from the balloon 14 years ago at Malone, N. Y., when her back was broken. She is much interested in her husband’s plans for his new invention.
Clarence C. Bonnette, aka Bonette, was born in Victory, Vermont in 1872, and died in Concord, new Hampshire in 1947. For more information about him, see www.earlyaviators.com
The following two items were found in the August 26, 1911 edition of Aero magazine, on page 461, under “The Diary of Flight”.
Saturday, August 12
Atlantic, Mass. – C. C. Bonette of Pasumpsic, VT. made several short flights in his Curtis-type biplane.
Thursday, August 17
Atlantic, Mass. – Dr. Percy L. Reynolds broke wood in a Burgess-Wright biplane. Reynolds unhurt. C.C. Bonette, in his Curtis-type biplane met with similar mishap.
Quonset Point Naval Air Station – June 14, 1943
Updated April 27, 2016
On June 14, 1943, Sub-Lieutenant Douglas Hamilton Morgan, (Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve) crashed on take-off at Quonset Point Naval Air Station. The impact detonated a bomb the plane was carrying, fragments of which injured twenty-three men in the immediate area, but only three of them seriously.
Morgan initially survived the crash, but died the following day. He was born in Edinburgh, Scotland, November 11, 1923, and was 19-years-old at the time of his death. He was commissioned a midshipman in the R.N.V.R in 1942.
It was reported that Morgan was flying a single-seat aircraft, but the type was not specified. (Possibly a Corsair) A newspaper account published June 17th mentioned another R.N.V.R. pilot was also killed on June 14 in an air crash in Rhode Island, but no specifics were given. That pilot was identified as Lieutenant Anthony Max Leslie Harris, 20, R.N.V.R., of Surrey, England.
Update 1: It has since been learned that Lt. Harris was killed when his Corsair I crashed behind a church in Tiverton, Rhode Island, on June 14, 1943.
Update 2:
Quonset Point NAS
June 14, 1943
U.S. Navy Photo
There is information to suggest that Sub-Lieutenant Morgan’s aircraft crashed into a bomb bunker setting off a series of explosions which might explain the high number of casualties connected to this incident.
The aircraft piloted by Sub-Lieutenant Morgan was a Corsair I, on loan to the British.
(U.S. Navy Bu. No. 18139)
(British number JT-117)
Both Lt. Harris and Sub-Lieutenant Morgan are buried in Island Cemetery in Newport, Rhode Island.
Sources:
Woonsocket Call, “Victim Of Bomb Crash In Critical Condition”, June 16, 1943, Pg.1
Woonsocket Call, “British Aviators Names In R.I. Fatal Crashes”, June 17, 1943, Pg. 1
University of Edinburgh Roll Of Honor, 1939- 1945
North Kingstown, Rhode Island, death records #43-36
www.findagrave.com, Memorial #15037581, and 15037579
The First Airplane Flight In Vermont – 1910
The first reported airplane flight in Vermont took place at the Caledonia county fair in St. Johnsbury on September 15, 1910.
The fair had been well advertised. One ad which appeared on page 1 of the Essex County Herald on September 9, 1910, stated in part, “The greatest of outdoor attractions – an aeroplane will make the first flights ever in Vermont.”
The fair was scheduled to take place on September 13, 14, and 15.
The following article appeared in the Barre Daily Times on September 16, 1910.
Aviator Flew Over Vermont Hills
Successful performance by John Willard at the St. Johnsbury Fair yesterday afternoon.
St. Johnsbury, Sept. 16 – Over 10,000 people attended the closing day of the Caledonia county fair , the attractions being a decorated automobile parade, three fast races, and two magnificent assentions by Charles F. Willard, the noted aviator, in his biplane. In the automobile parade, there were over 100 machines, with $250 in prizes. In class I, John C. Clark won first prize, the Commercial Club second, O.H. Rixford of East Highgate third.
In class two, Dr. T. R. Stiles won first, Asselin brothers second, and Dan A. Perry of Barre third. Lyndonville took the prize for the most cars from one town and for decorated cars.
The first ascent in Vermont of an aeroplane was a success from start to finish and created great enthusiasm. In his 18 months of aviation, Mr. Willard told the correspondent it was the roughest course he had ever tried. The groundis not only rough, but the nearness of the foothills causes a confusionof aircurrents and prevents any long distanceflight. But in spite of natural difficulties, he kept the machine under perfect control all the time. In his first flight of about six minutes, he covered about five miles, following the valley of the Passumpsie river, and rose to a height of 506 feet. His second trip was shorter, but more spectacular , as he circled the fair grounds almost within hailing distance, and his sensational landing created whirl of applause. Mr. Willard left for Holyoke last night, where he will fly on Saturday.
The flight in Holyoke mentioned in the article took place September 17, 1910.
Prior to his exhibition at the Caledonia county fair, Mr. Willard had attended the Squantum Air Meet held in Quincy, Massachusetts, a little over one week earlier.
The following articles which appeared in the St. Johnsbury Caledonian on September 21, 1910, (Page 7) provide greater detail of his historic Vermont flight.
Click on images to enlarge
Charles Forster Willard died in 1977 at the age of 94. For more information about him see www.earlyaviators.com
Sandwich, Massachusetts – August 29, 1961
RB-57F. The U.S. Version of the English Electric Canberra. U.S. Air Force Photo.
On August 29, 1961, Major Harold D. LaRoche, 27, took off from Otis Air Force Base in Falmouth, Massachusetts, in a Martin B-57 Canberra en-route to Andrews Air Force base in Virginia. (He was the only person aboard.)
Shortly after take off LaRoche radioed Otis tower that he had an emergency and turned back towards the base. On his approach he crashed in the Forestdale section in the town of Sandwich, Massachusetts. The plane exploded and the major was killed.
Major LaRoche was assigned to Ent Air Force base in Colorado Springs, Colorado, and had been on a cross-country flight.
Source:
Falmouth Enterprise, (Photo) “Wreckage Of Bomber Which Crashed In Forrestdale”, September 1, 1961
Cumberland, Rhode Island – June 14, 1943
On June 14, 1943, a U. S. Army P-47C Thunderbolt (41-6091) crashed on Abbott Run Valley Road in north Cumberland. The aircraft came down clipping several tree tops before striking a telephone pole and crashing into the roadway. The engine was torn loose and came to rest in a nearby potato field. The plane was demolished.
The cause of the crash was not stated.
The pilot, William King, assigned to the 326 Fighter Group, survived the crash with relatively minor injuries.
Source: Evening Bulletin, “Pilot In Crash Unhurt”, June 15, 1943, Pg. 3
Boston Airport – February, 1934
Early Air Mail Advertisement
On March 1, 1934, the U.S. Army Eastern Zone Air Service announced it had cancelled until further notice all air mail flights to Boston due to hazardous landing conditions at the airport there. The decision came after there had been three air mail plane accidents on the narrow runways within four days. Apparently the runways had been plowed of recently fallen snow, but the mounds were piled high right at the edges.
On February 26th and 27th, two air mail planes were damaged upon landing when their wings clipped the snow drifts.
On the morning of February 28th, a plane piloted by Lt. Charles E. Flaherty, carrying 81 pounds of mail hit another snowdrift damaging the propeller and both wings. (It wasn’t stated if Lt. Flaherty was injured or not.)
Source: New York Times, “Air Mail Cancels Trips To Boston”, March 1, 1934
Off Conimicut Point, Rhode Island – August 3, 1916
Updated January 1, 2022.
The information about this accident comes from a small news item that appeared in the Norwich Bulletin on August 5, 1916, Page 1, under the heading “Condensed Telegraphs”.
The new hydro-aeroplane of the Rhode Island Naval Militia struck a submerged oyster stake off Conimicut Point in Narragansett Bay.
No further details were given.
Another news item found in The El Paso Herald, dated August 3, 1916, read as follows: “The hydroplane presented to the Rhode Island Naval Militia by Miss Lyra Brown Nickerson, struck a submerged oyster stake and partly sank off Conimicut. Later it was drawn into shallow water to be repaired.”
East Greenwich, Rhode Island – May 16, 1944
On May 16, 1944, an F6F-3 Hellcat (41944) assigned to VF-7 at Quonset Point Naval Air Station, crashed at the west end of the former Sun Valley Rifle Range in East Greenwich. Witnesses said the plane had been maneuvering over the area when it suddenly went into a tail spin and crashed. The pilot was killed, and the subsequent fire ignited the surrounding woods.
The pilot, Lt. Comdr. David W. Taylor, was a squadron commander. He was survived by a wife and two children.
Source: The Standard, “Quonset Pilot Falls To Death”, May 18, 1944.
The Connecticut Aeroplane Company
The following brief news item appeared in The Bridgeport Evening Farmer on December 20, 1913, page 2, under the headline “Aeroplane Company Organized In State”
Hartford, Dec. 20 – The Connecticut Aeroplane Company, of New Haven, filed a certificate of incorporation in the office of the Secretary of State today. Its capital stock is $500.000 and it proposes to build aeroplanes, hydro-aeroplanes, and aircraft of all descriptions. It will start operations with $400,000 paid in. The incorporators are E. A. Mulliken, of New Haven, Paul Webb, of Hamden, and Ralph H. Clark, of derby. An Incorporation fee of $250 was paid to the state.
Penobscot Bay, Maine – July 2, 1967
On July 2, 1967, a pusher Seabee carrying five people crashed in Penobscot Bay about 500 feet from shore in 35 feet of water. The plane was nearly torn in half by the impact, and there were no survivors.
The dead were identified as:
(Pilot) Victor Quintinella Jr., 37.
David A. Mahoney, 46, his wife, Marjorie, 36, and their two sons, David J. 4, and Thomas D. 2.
Source: New York Times, “5 from State Dean In Maine Air Crash”, July 4, 1967
North Kingstown, Rhode Island – April 22, 1944
Updated July 7, 2017
Hellcat Fighters
U.S. Navy Photo
On the afternoon of Saturday, April 22, 1944, two F6F-3 Hellcats assigned to VF-7 at Quonset Point Naval Air Station, collided in mid-air over the Quonset Manor neighborhood of North Kingstown. Both pilots were killed.
One plane sheared the tail off the other while both planes were several hundred feet in the air.
One of the Hellcats, (Bu. No. 42706), piloted by Ensign Joseph Clyde Rust, 22, of Alliance, Nebraska, crashed on King Phillip Drive and exploded.
The other Hellcat, (Bu. No. 41965), piloted by Ensign Oswald Eugene Asplundh Jr., 21, of Glenview, Illinois, crashed and burned to the waterline in Sawmill Pond.
Update: The accident occurred while a flight of three Hellcats was flying in a Vee formation at 4,000 feet. The flight leader, flying at the point of the Vee, suddenly began to pull away from the formation, and Ensigns Rust and Asplundh attempted to follow, and that’s when the collision occurred.
Source:
Providence Journal, “2 Planes Collide At Quonset Manor”, April 23, 1944, Pg. 1
The Standard, “Two Planes Crash At Quonset Manor”, April 27, 1944, Pg. 1
U.S. Navy Accident Report
Rochester, New Hampshire – September 26, 1912
On September 26, 1912, Boston aviator Phillips W. Page was scheduled to give a flight exhibition at a fair in Rochester before a crowd of 25,000 people. However, as Page was taking off, and had reached an altitude of barely 25 feet, a sudden gust of wind tipped the plane causing a wing to drop and strike a fence near the reviewing stand. The plane hit the ground and was smashed to pieces. As dozens of people rushed over to be of assistance, Page crawled out from underneath, shaken and bruised, but wearing a smile.
Page had survived a previous accident on December 9, 1911, when he and a passenger received “a ducking” when the wing tip of their airplane hit the water off Marblehead, Massachusetts
Phillips Ward Page (1885-1917) was an early New England aviator, and Harvard graduate. One could say his career began when he took a job as Aviation Editor for the Boston Herald, and in his capacity as editor took several plane trips around Boston. He obtained his pilot’s license from the Wright Flying School in Dayton Ohio on October 25, 1911, and later became an instructor for the Burgess Company of Marblehead where he tested some of the newest Burgess-Curtis aircraft.
During World War I, Page served as a naval aviation instructor at Squantum Naval Base in Massachusetts, before going overseas. Ensign Page died in the service of his country on December 17, 1917, when the seaplane he was piloting crashed in the English Channel.
Sources:
The Bare Daily Times, “Aviator Had A Fall”, September 27, 1912, Page 2.
Smithsonian Institution Research Information System (SIRIS) catalog – Phillips Ward Page
Aero & Hydro magazine, “Activity Of Aviator And Builder” December 9, 1911, page 201
Washington Times, “Ensign Page, D.C. Flyer, Killed In Accident Abroad”, December 20, 1917, Page 8
Washington Times, “20 D.C. Men Gave Lives To Nation In Year Of War”, April 8, 1918
Londonderry, Vermont – February 22, 1973
Updated July 9, 2017
On the evening of February 22, 1973, a Cessna 310J, (N3149L) with two persons aboard left Mt. Empire, Virginia, bound for Springfield, Vermont. At 7:00 p.m. the pilot was given clearance from the Air Traffic Control center in Nashua to land at Springfield. The weather over Vermont consisted of low cloud cover and snow conditions. When the plane failed to arrive at the airport a search and rescue effort was begun. The plane wreckage was later found on 2, 800 ft. mountain in the town of Londonderry. Both men aboard were killed.
Sources:
National Transportation Safety Board brief #NYC73AN116
Claremont Daily Eagle, “Missing Plane Believed Down Near Springfield”, February 23, 1973, page 1.
Cumberland, Rhode Island – September 8, 1940
On September 8, 1940, a small airplane crashed in a cornfield off Diamond Hill Road in Cumberland, not far from the Woonsocket Airport. The plane was badly damaged, but there were no rep[orts of injuries. No further details were mentioned.
Source: Woonsocket Call, “Twas A Corn-y Landing”, September 9, 1940, Pg. 4
Off Prudence Island, Rhode Island – October 26, 1984
On the evening of October 26,1984, a small private plane with a husband and wife aboard left T.F. Green State Airport in Warwick, R.I., bound for Prudence Island, an island located in Narragansett Bay. The couple owned property on Prudence Island, and routinely commuted via airplane to the mainland.
The plane left T.F. Green at 6:40 p.m. The weather at the time was cloudy and rain was falling. At 8:25 p.m. that night the plane was reported overdue.
The following morning, two friends of the missing couple began a search using an aircraft, and spotted the wreckage in 8 feet of water between Prudence Island and Patience Island. The tails section had been torn away by the crash.
Divers recovered the body of the wife inside the aircraft, but the husband was reportedly missing.
Source:
The Day, “One Dead, One Missing In R.I. Plane Crash”, October 28, 1984
Atlantic Ocean – February 26, 1965
About 700 miles east of Bangor, Maine, and 220 miles south of Cape Race, Newfoundland
B-47 Stratojet during refueling operations.
U.S. Air Force Photo
On February 26, 1965, a flight of three B-47 bomber aircraft, and one KC-135 tanker plane, were en-route from Torrejon Air Force Base in Madrid, Spain, to Pease Air Force Base in Portsmouth, New Hampshire. The planes were returning to the U.S. after a three week deployment overseas.
The B-47s were assigned to the 100th Bomb Group assigned at Pease, and the tanker was part of the 71st Air Refueling Squadron at Dow Air Force Base, but all were under the command of the 8th Air Force.
As the formation was about 800 miles from the coast of Maine, the tanker began refueling operations. After refueling one of the B-47s, a second moved into place. At 9:40 a.m. Eastern Standard Time, a mid-air collision took place between the tanker and the second B-47 resulting in a massive fire ball. Both aircraft went down in flames and into the icy water.
RB-47E Stratojet
U.S. Air Force Photo
No parachutes were seen by crew of the other aircraft, and even though the planes carried life jackets and rubber rafts, Air Force officials doubted any survivors could last long in the frigid water and cold temperatures.
Between both planes, eight servicemen were lost.
The crew of the B-47 consisted of:
(Pilot) Capt. James B. Reddig, 27, of Webster, N.Y.
(Co-pilot) Capt. Milton S. Stone, 32, Normal, Ill.
(Navigator) Capt. Frank Velasquez, 31, of Brooklyn, N.Y.
(Instructor Pilot) Major Charles E. Michigan, 34, of Medford, Mass.
The crew of the KC-135 consisted of:
(Pilot) Capt. Nolan W. Payn, 32, of Lampassas, Texas.
(Co-pilot) Capt. Robert G. Lowe, 29, of Arlington, VA.
(Navigator) Lt. Milburn D. Taylor, 22, of Carbondale, Ill.
Mstr. Sgt. Carey A. Addison Jr., 32, of Louisiana.
Source: New York Times, “8 Crewmen Lost In Fueling Crash”, February 27, 1965
North Smithfield, R.I. – May 11, 1941
Slatersville Athletic Field
On May 11, 1941, George W. Verdon Jr., 22, took off from Ironstone Airport in Uxbridge, Massachusetts, in a small airplane. Shortly afterward he developed engine trouble and was forced to make an emergency landing at the Slatersville Athletic Field in North Smithfield, Rhode Island. After landing safely, he set to work on the motor. After awhile, he was ready to take off again.
As the aircraft began to leave the ground the engine suddenly cut out and the plane nosed into the field and skidded to a halt. George emerged with minor injuries and was taken to Woonsocket Hospital for treatment.
Source: Woonsocket Call, “Plane Crashes On Slatersville Athletic Field”, May 12, 1941
Nomans Land Island – September 2, 1949
On September 2, 1949, a 35-foot New Bedford fishing boat with three men aboard tied up at a wharf on Noma’s Land Island and began cutting up sharks they had caught. The island was (And still is.) off limits to all civilian personnel due to the fact it was utilized by the U.S. Navy for gunnery practice by ships and aircraft. (The boat’s captain would later claim he was not aware that the dock was part of the restricted area.)
As the men sat near their boat, a military fighter aircraft came zooming at them about 20 feet off the water and opened fire spraying the boat and surrounding area with machine gun bullets. Twenty rounds pierced the boat while others spattered the nearby water and ground. Fortunately none of the men were hit.
The fishing boat captain field a complaint which was investigated. He stated that several other military planes were flying over the area at the time, but the one that shot at them had been flying alone.
Military officials for both the army and navy denied responsibility. It was reported that several aircraft from Quonset Point Naval Air Station in Rhode Island had been scheduled to fly to the island that day, but according to officials, when they arrived they found other “unscheduled” aircraft already there, and returned to Quonset without firing a shot.
Source:
Lewiston Daily Sun, “Fishing Vessel Strafed By Mystery Plane off Mass; Navy Denies Responsibility”, September 3, 1949
Stafford Springs, Connecticut – April 15, 1949
On April 15, 1949, a small plane carrying two men was en-route from Florida to Smithfield, Rhode Island, when they encountered foggy conditions over Connecticut, and crashed on a farm in Stafford Springs.
The plane, an Aeronca “Champion”, was a total loss, but the two men escaped with only minor injuries.
The pilot was identified as Peter J. Vecchio, 21, of Miami, Florida, and the passenger as Edward Hayden, 20, of Wallingford, Connecticut.
Source:
St. Petersburg Times, “Pilot Escapes Plane Crash”, April 16, 1949
Atlantic Ocean – July 23, 1942
Approximate Location: Lat. 40-40 N, long. 70-25 W.
Updated January 16, 2023
OS2U Kingfisher
U.S. Navy Photo
On July 23, 1942, a flight of U.S. Navy Kingfisher aircraft were on a training flight over the Atlantic off the coast of Rhode Island when they encountered what the navy termed “extremely bad weather”. As the planes continued on visibility dropped to near zero.
One of the planes was piloted by Ensign Harold W. Gray, 25, from Long Eddy, New York. With him was an observer, Lieutenant (jg) William Boddie Bartels, of Memphis, Tenn. Upon entering the weather system, the flight leader signaled to Gray close in tighter which he did, taking a position to the leader’s right. The leader wanted Gray to be able to keep him n sight as visibility dropped. The flight leader went on instrument flight shortly afterwards, and at this time the planes were only 500 feet above the water.
The leader began a shallow turn to the right, and as he did so, Gray elected to slide his aircraft up and over the tail of the leader to take a new position on the leader’s left. Gray’s aircraft disappeared into the scud and was never seen again.
According to the naval investigation report, it was the opinion of naval investigators that Gray, “lost sight of the leader and being in an unusual position and finding himself with no reference point, due to vertigo, he was unable to orient himself on instruments in time to avoid crashing into the water.”
The aircraft was an OS2U-3 Kingfisher, Bu. No. 09404, assigned to Quonset Point Naval Air Station, VB-9.
To see more info about Lt. (jg) Bartels and Ens. Gray, click on the links below.
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/84389917/harold-william-gray
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/77497519/william-boddie-bartels
Sources:
U.S. Navy Accident Investigation Brief #43-4537
Woonsocket Call, “Navy Airmen Lost On Patrol Flight”, July 24, 1942, Pg. 1
The Waterbury Democrat, (Ct.) “Navy Plane Lost With Two Aboard”, July 24, 1942, pg. 4
Stafford Springs, Connecticut – January 5, 1929
On January 5, 1929, a small plane carrying mail for the U.S. Postal Service crashed in poor weather conditions on the outskirts of Stafford Springs, Connecticut.
The plane was a Fairchild FC-2, (NC5650), owned by Colonial Air Transport.
The 26-year-old pilot was killed.
Sources:
www.planecrashinfo.com
Hagley Digital Archives at digital.hagley.org
Off Nantucket – April 25, 1967
At 6:30 p.m. on April 25, 1967, a “radar picket plane” with sixteen men aboard took off from Otis Air Force Base for patrol duty over the Atlantic. “A half hour later,” it was reported, “eye witnesses heard the plane roaring over their homes at Madaket on the western end of Nantucket.”
The plane crashed into the sea off the western end of the island. A commercial pilot flying in the area saw the plane go down, and said the Air Force pilot had made a deliberate effort to avoid crashing in the center of town.
The plane was piloted by Col. James P. Lyle Jr., 47, commander of the 551st Airborne Early Warning and Control Wing based at Otis.
Of the sixteen men aboard, there was only one survivor: the navigator, Lieut. Joseph H. Guenet, 29, of Montreal.
To learn more about this accident click here: http://www.dean-boys.com/extras/lost/ac549.htm
This was the second radar plane out of Otis to be lost within two years. The other went down in July, 1965, with sixteen lives lost.
Sources:
New York Times, “Plane with 16 Crashes Off Coast”, April 26, 1967
New York Times, “Air Force Seeks Survivors Of Crash Off Nantucket”, April 27, 1967
New York Times, “Hope Gone For 13 On Plane”, April 28, 1967
Blue Hills Bay – February 13, 1943
Surrey, Maine
Little information is available about this accident as press reports were vague.
On February 13, 1943, a two-man Navy plane crashed into Blue Hills Bay while on a training flight. The type of plane was not identified.
The pilot, Lieutenant John Shelley, of Wellesley, Massachusetts, was rescued by townsmen from Surrey, who braved the icy waters in a small boat to get to the downed airman.
An unidentified radioman was lost in the crash. Lt. Shelley stated that both he and the radioman had managed to climb onto a wing of the partially submerged aircraft and the radioman attempted to swim the mile or so to shore. The water was cold, with floating ice and strong currents.
Sources:
Providence Journal, “4 Lost, 2 Rescued In Plane Mishaps”, February 14, 1943, Pg. 5
(The headline does not match the story because two crashes were included in the same article. The other accident occurred in Rhode Island.)
Bangor Daily News, “Navy Man feared Lost After Crash In Blue Hill Bay”, February 15, 1943
Quonset Point Naval Air Station OS2U-2 Kingfisher
March 20, 1941
These photos are of a U.S. Navy OS2U-2 Kingfisher, (Bu. No. 2193) belonging to Scouting Squadron 2, stationed at Quonset Point Naval Air Station in Rhode Island at the beginning of World War II. (Note the Quonset Point designation on the fuselage.)
Click on images to enlarge.
U.S. Navy OS2U-2 Kingfisher
U.S. Navy Photo
National Archives
U.S. Navy OS2U-2 Kingfisher
U.S. Navy Photo
National Archives
U.S. Navy OS2U Kingfisher Fuel Gauge
Atlantic Ocean – February 13, 1943
Rhode Island
There isn’t much information available about this accident as news reports were vague.
On February 13, 1943, two navy planes collided in mid-air while on a training flight over the Atlantic Ocean somewhere off the coast of Rhode Island. The type of planes was not stated, but there were four crewmen between the two planes, three of whom were lost. Their names were not stated.
The sole survivor was identified as Aviation Mechinist’s Mate Joseph Leo Wallace, who was thrown clear by the impact, and saved by his parachute. Wallace was rescued by a “fast Navy motor boat” which then developed engine trouble off Newport and drifted onto some rocks. Wallace and the boat crew were rescued by the Coast Guard. (The boat could not be saved.)
Sources:
Providence Journal: “4 Lost, 2 Rescued In Plane Mishaps”, February 14, 1943, Pg. 5 (It should be noted that the headline does not match up to this particular story because two crashes were reported ion the same article. The other crash occurred in Maine where one man was lost and another saved.)
The Milwaukee Journal, “Tossed Into Space As Planes Collide, Chute Saves Him”, February 14, 1943, Pg. 1
Atlantic Ocean – December 12, 1943
B-24 Liberator
U.S. Air Force Photo
On December 12, 1943, a B-24 Liberator (42-7225) took off from Westover Field in Chicopee, Massachusetts, for a nighttime high altitude navigational and gunnery training flight over the Atlantic Ocean. The aircraft was never seen again.
The air crew was assigned to the 758th Bombardment Squadron, 459th Bomb Group.
The lost crewmen were listed as follows:
(Pilot) Lt. William P. Masters
(Co-Pilot) Lt. Robert R. Hansen To see an obit and photo of Lt. Hansen’ s grave, click here: https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/70943303/robert-rollin-hansen
(Gunner) Sgt. Cecil H. Conklin
(Gunner) Sgt. Anthony L. Greco
(Gunner) Sgt. Dean G. McCaffrey
(Radio Operator) Sgt. Bernard G. Stoeckley
(Gunner) Sgt. Anson G. Wiseman
(Flight Engineer) Sgt. Stanley E. Zajac
A bronze memorial plaque at the New England Air Museum honoring the lost crew of a B-24 Liberator (42-7225)
A memorial to these men can be seen at the New England Air Museum in Winsor Locks, Connecticut.
Click on image to enlarge.
Source: 459th bombardment Group website
Missing Aircraft – April 27, 1966
B-57 Reconnaissance Bomber
U.S. Air Force Photo
On April 27, 1966, an Air Force B-57 reconnaissance bomber was on a training flight from Newburgh, New York, to Otis Air Force Base in Falmouth, Massachusetts, when it disappeared after radioing a distress signal, presumably somewhere near the Falmouth area.
There were two men aboard the aircraft: (Pilot) Major Malcolm T. Kalser, 42, of Biggs, California, and (Navigator) Major Frank N. Guzzetta, 40, of Darby, Penn.
After a widespread search nothing was found, and the Air Force called off the search after eight days.
Then, on Sunday, May 9, 1966, two fishermen from Cuttyhunk Island reported finding what they though might be pieces of the missing aircraft on a nearby beach. “The wreckage”, it was reported, “included one part about five feet long and a rubber de-icing boot.”
The pieces were turned over to the Air Force.
Source:
Woonsocket Call, “Plane Search May Resume; Parts Found”, May 9, 1966, Pg. 6
Hillsgrove Airport – August 28, 1935
Warwick, Rhode Island
Vintage Hillsgrove Airport Postcard.
Today known as T.F. Green State Airport – Warwick, R.I.
On the morning of August 28, 1935, veteran pilot Joshua Crane Jr., 37, began his final approach to a temporary field adjoining Hillsgrove Airport from an altitude of 1500 feet. Crane was flying a Waco, model YOC, (NC-14621), a four passenger aircraft. Also aboard was Arthur E. Howe, 26, of Philadelphia. Both were en-route from Boston to Cleveland, Ohio, and were stopping at Hillsgrove to pick up a third man, Arthur L. Johnson of Cranston.
The weather was clear with a southwest wind of 20 miles per hour and gusty. When the plane had dropped to 500 feet, a gust of wind sent it into a left spin and it plunged to the ground in a small lot on Occupassatuxet Road in Warwick’s Hoxie section, miraculously missing any houses in the area. (Occupassatuxet Road no longer exists. It was taken by eminent domain during an airport expansion project.) The impact drove the plane’s motor into the passenger cabin causing severe crushing injuries to both men.
Bystanders pulled Crane and Howe from the crumpled wreck and both were transported St. Joseph’s Hospital in critical condition. Crane died shortly afterwards, and Howe was reportedly only given a 50-50 chance of survival.
The death of Joshua Crane came as a shock to the New England aviation world, for he was regarded as an excellent pilot throughout the region. He began flying after graduating from Harvard University in 1917 at the age of twenty. At that time, World War I was raging in Europe and he enlisted in the United States Navy as a pilot where he received training at Squantum, Massachusetts, and Hampton Roads, Virginia. By 1918 he was stationed in England flying anti-submarine patrols trying to prevent German U-boats from attacking convoys.
While in England, he met his future wife Dora, and they married in 1920.
After leaving the navy, he continued flying in the relatively new sport of air racing where his reputation grew. Besides racing, he also became involved with several air-passenger service ventures that flew out of Rhode Island, and Massachusetts. By 1930 he had become general manager of Southern New England Airways, Inc., a long defunct service that once flew out of Pawtucket, Rhode Island. During the literally thousands of hours he logged in the air, it was estimated that he had transported more than 25,000 passengers.
In addition to passengers, he also flew humanitarian missions and ferried people for the government. On one occasion he flew from Boston with a planeload of prisoners destined for the federal penitentiary at Lewisburg, Pennsylvania. Shortly before his death, he had taken Rhode Island’s Governor Theodore Francis Green and a military aide to an army camp in upstate New York to observe war games. The plane that the governor flew on was the same one that Mr. Crane was piloting the day he crashed.
Like many pilots, Crane had his share of “close calls”. One incident occurred in November of 1930 when a glider he was piloting went down in Pawtucket. Neither he nor his two passengers were seriously hurt. In April of 1933 his plane loaded with passengers crash landed in southern Rhode Island when the motor lost power, but thankfully those aboard suffered only minor injuries. Then in July of that same year the landing gear collapsed as he touched down at an airport in Skowhegan, Maine.
In February of 1934 he became stranded on an island that he owned known as “No Man’s Land” located about three miles off the southern coast of Martha’s Vineyard, Massachusetts. (Today the island is known as “Normans Land”). On that occasion, he had “nosed-over” on landing and damaged the propeller which forced him to wait until the Coast Guard could bring a new one.
The accident which killed Joshua Crane was investigated by the Department of Commerce. Investigators who examined the wreckage found, “The airplane was so broken up that very little could be learned as to the control system prior to the accident except that all control surfaces were still attached, and the left wing flap was found to be in full down position while the right one was in full up position. In analyzing this accident, full cognizance was given to the fact that most probably the left wing flap functioned while the right one did not.”
This possible malfunction of the flaps, combined with gusty wind conditions, may have led to the crash.
Sources:
The Woonsocket Call, “Joshua Crane Jr., Dead, Passenger Injured In Crash”, August 28, 1935, Page 1.
The Providence Journal, “Joshua Crane, Jr., Fatally Injured As Plane Crashes”, August 29, 1935, Page 1.
Department Of Commerce, Report of the Accident Board
A New Kind Of Balloon Race – 1908
It was said to be a new kind of balloon race called a “point-to-point race”, the first ever held in the United States. Balloons were to take off from North Adams, Massachusetts, but the contestants were to predict ahead of time where they expected their balloon to land. The landing point had to be at least thirty miles form North Adams, and the one who landed closest to their designated target would be the winner.
The race was held August 14, 1908, and the winner was Mr. Arthur D. Potter of Greenfield, Massachusetts, who piloted the balloon, North Adams No.1, which came down on a farm about five miles from its anticipated destination of Haydenville, a village in the town of Williamsburg, Mass. Accompanying him on the trip was A. Holland Forbes, and his 12-year-old daughter, Natalie.
Source: (No. Dakota) Bismarck Daily Tribune, “New Kind Of Balloon Race”, August 15, 1908
Updated April 4, 2017
The following newspaper article appeared in The Morning Journal-Currier, (New Haven, Connecticut), August 6, 1908, page 4.
BALLOON RACE IN EAST NEXT WEEK
Challenge Cup Will Go To Pilot Who Lands Nearest The Place he Selects Before Flight
Six Balloons, Size Unrestricted, Are Expected To Join Unique Test Next Thursday
New York, Aug. 5 – With a record of 25 successful balloon flights from North Adams, Mass., during the present season, and with many more booked for the near future with the certainty that they will continue up to the close of the ballooning season in October, the North Adams Aero Club will start on August 14 the first point to point balloon race ever held in the United States and the fourth race where more than two balloons are started that has ever been held in this country.
At least four balloons and probably five, with a possibility of six, will be sent away during the afternoon, the pilot of each being required to name the landing place he selects prior to his departure. This place must be at least thirty miles from the starting point, and the pilot who lands nearest to the post office of the town or city he selects, providing he is within a ten-mile radius of the post office, will be awarded the trophy given by A. Holland Forbes of new York, a well known balloonist who has made the majority of his trips from this city and who is to be one of the contestants representing the United States in the international balloon races at Berlin, Germany, in October.
This trophy is to be held by the winner subject to challenge after six months, and if the challenge is not accepted after thirty days the cup reverts to the North Adams Aero Club, which will arrange for a second race, as will be done immediately in the event that no one of the contestants succeeds in carrying out the provisions of the race on the first attempt.
The balloons already entered are: Heart of the Berkshires, owned by the Aero Club of Pittsfield; pilot Alan R. Hawley, third vice-president of the Aero Club of America, and a contestant in the recent international race from St. Louis. Sky Pilot, owned by Mesers Wade and Morgan of Cleveland, Ohio: pilot J. H. Wade. Boston, owned by the Aero Club of New England; pilot, Charles J. Glidden of Boston. North Adams No 1, owned by the North Adams Aero Club; pilot, Arthur D. Potter of Greenfield, who will be accompanied by Mr. Forbes, the giver of the trophy. Greylock, owned and piloted by Dr. Roger M. Randall of North Adams.
No restrictions as to the size of the balloons or the number of people each may carry is made, and each pilot, after witnessing the direction taken by several piloting balloons, is at liberty to pick his landing place, announcing it as he is ready to leave the grounds.
The first of the balloons will not be sent away until 1 o’clock at the earliest on Friday, August 14, and the others will follow at fifteen or thirty minutes intervals, as mey be determined upon the day of the race by the race committee.
*********
The following newspaper article appeared in The Marion Daily Mirror, (Marion, Ohio) on August 15, 1908, page 2.
POINT TO POINT BALLOON RACE
Three Airships In The Race
Balloon That Won The Prize Offered For Victory Had A 12-Year-old Girl As One Of Its Passengers
North Adams, Mass., Aug. 15 – The balloon North Adams No. 1, with A. D. Potter of Greenfield as pilot and Holland Forbes and daughter Natalie, aged 12 years, as passengers, and owned by the North Adams Aero Club, undoubtedly won the cup offered by Mr. Forbes in the first point-to-point race ever held in this country. The race was started from North Adams Friday afternoon. The North Adams No. 1 landed on the farm of Lyman Sanderson at West Whateley, about five miles from its previously declared destination, Haydenville. This was the first balloon to get away. The Greylock, owned and pilotd by Dr. Roger M. Randall of North Adams and having Clarence Wildman of this city as passenger, landed at Bryant farm in Ashfield, fully 12 miles from its desired destination, Leeds.
The third balloon to start, the Heart of the Berkshires, owned by the Aero Club of Pittsfield, was the last to land, coming down in Amherst, within six and one-quarter miles of Whateley Station, its destination.
The conditions of the race were that, previous to the race, the occupants of the balloon should designate some place, at least 30 miles from North Adams, where they would attempt to land, that they should land within ten miles of the post office of the place and that the balloon landing nearest the announced destination should win the cup. Further, the winner should hold himself open for six months to a challenge for the defense of the cup.
Charles J. Glidden of Boston was to have made the fourth competitor with the balloon Boston, owned by the Aero Club of New England and having as a passenger Mrs. Helm Clayton, wife of the meteorologist of the Blue Hill Observatory. Mr. Glidden did not desire to start until late in the afternoon, but the committee on the race decided that the contestants must be ready to start at 1 o’clock. Mr. Glidden would not consent to go up at that time, so he was disqualified from competing.
*********
Providence Airport – Seekonk, Massachusetts
The former Providence Airport, built about 1929 to service the City of Providence, Rhode Island, was actually located on Fall River Avenue, (Route 6) in the neighboring town of Seekonk, Massachusetts.
Click on Image to enlarge.
(Also note Pothier Field in Warwick, R.I., indicated on map.)
1930 Map Of The Providence Airport in Seekonk, Massachusetts.
Woonsocket, R.I. – March 17, 1936
Plane crash in Woonsocket R.I., Oak Hill Cemetery
March 17, 1936
Woonsocket Call Photo
On the afternoon of March 17, 1936, Waldemar M. E. Hagberg, 26, of Springfield, Massachusetts, flew two passengers from Springfield to Boston. He later left Boston Airport at 8:40 p.m. to return to Springfield, and got lost in fog as he neared Worcester. Realizing his situation, he set down on the frozen ice on Indian Lake located in northern Worcester, but afterwards discovered that he couldn’t get to shore due to surrounding water. He therefore took off again hoping to find Grafton Airport in the neighboring community of Grafton. Unfortunately the Grafton Airport wasn’t lighted, and Waldemar circled for some time unable to locate it. He then decided to set a course towards Providence, Rhode Island, but found the weather getting worse the farther south he flew. As he passed over the City of Woonsocket, he saw the lights below and began looking for a place to land. After circling for several minutes he saw what appeared to be a clear area.
The area was dark, which indicated that there were probably no wires from streetlights or buildings, but he couldn’t tell about any trees. Fearing that he might not find another opportunity, he decided to take a chance and make a landing. After cutting his motor and turning off his navigation lights to prevent a fire, he nursed his airplane down slowly until the landing gear unexpectedly struck some tree tops. Waldemar yanked back on the stick as the plane tore through the branches and came to rest almost nose first.
Waldemar was shaken, but not injured. As he climbed fro the wreck, he discovered that he had crashed in Woonsocket’s Oak Hill Cemetery, which accounted for the trees and lack of lights. Officers W. L. Cote, and William Brady transported him to Woonsocket Hospital for examination.
The plane was a Kittyhawk bi-plane with room for a pilot and two passengers.
Source:
Woonsocket Call, “Air Pilot Escapes Injury In Landing In City Cemetery”, March 18, 1936
Logan Airport – Boston, Massachusetts
Vintage Views
Click on images to enlarge
Vintage Post Card View Of Boston’s Logan Airport
Vintage Post Card View Of
Logan International Airport
Atlantic Ocean – July 12, 1965
Approx. 100 miles northeast of Nantucket, Massachusetts
EC-121 Super Constellation
U.S. Air Force Photo
On the night of July 12, 1965, an Air Force EC-121H Super Constellation radar aircraft with a crew of 19 aboard, was flying over the Atlantic when a fire in one engine forced the pilot to ditch in the water.
The last radio transmission received from the pilot was , “Altitude 200 feet, I am ditching.”
The Constellation broke up when it hit the water.
The aircraft carrier U.S.S. Wasp and several other ships were in the area on naval exercises, and immediately launched a search and rescue operation. Of the 19 men aboard, only three were rescued. Nine bodies were recovered. The other seven were listed as “missing, presumed dead”.
Those rescued were :
1st Lt. Bruce E. Witcher, navigator, of Redding, CA.
Airman 1c John N. Puopolo, of Roslindale, Mass.
Airman 2c David A. Surles, of Raleigh, N.C.
The dead and missing were identified as:
Capt. Murray J. Brody, pilot, of New York City.
2nd Lt. Fred Ambrosio, pilot, of Otis AFB.
1st Lt. Thomas Fiedler, pilot, of Davenport, Iowa.
2nd Lt. Ira J. Husik, navigator, of Philadelphia.
Capt. Edward N. Anaka of Akron, N.Y.
Capt. Michael R. Barbolla, of the Bronx, N.Y.
T. Sgt. Gilbert T. Armstrong, flight engineer, of Newport, VT.
T. Sgt. Eugene J. Schreivogel, of Springfield, Colorado.
S. Sgt. Raymond M. Washam, of Wilmington, Del.
S. Sgt. Francis J. Griffin, of Toronto, Canada.
S. Sgt. John L. Howard, of Sanford, PA.
Airman 1c George R. West, of Wyoming, Mich.
Airman 1c Charles K. Sawyer, of Anderson, S.C.
Airman 2c William E. Howe Jr., of North Augusta, S.C.
Airman 2c Charles H. Williams, of Worcester, Mass.
Airman 3c Charles J. Podjaski, of Evergreen Park, Ill.
The aircraft was assigned to Otis Air Force Base in Falmouth, Massachusetts.
There is much more information available relating to this accident. To find out more, go to http://www.heinzalbers.org/aircrash.htm to read numerous articles from the Cape Cod Standard Times about this incident.
Sources:
New York Times, “9 Airmen Perish In Plane Ditching”, July 13, 1965
New York Times, “Crash Survivors Describe Ordeal”, July 14, 1965
Chicago Tribune, “Buddies Tell How Airmen Died In Crash”, July 14, 1965, Pg. 2
New York Times, “Coast Guard Halts Search For Airmen In Plane Crash”, July 18, 1965
Middletown, Connecticut – July 29, 1911
On the afternoon of July 29, 1911, well known Connecticut aviator Nels J. Nelson of New Britain, Conn., was giving a flying exhibition at what was called by the press at the time the “State Insane Hospital” in Middletown. Roughly 2,000 spectators sat on the lawn of the grounds to watch the show.
At one point Nelson came in for a landing and struck a telephone wire which caused the plane to turn sideways and crash. The aircraft was wrecked, and although Nelson was pitched to the ground, he was not seriously injured.
It was noted by the press that this “flight was the first one ever held in this county”, meaning Middlesex County, Connecticut.
At the time of this accident Nelson was just beginning his career, but he went on to become famous as one of Connecticut’s early aviators. For more information about Nels Nelson, see www.earlyaviators.com
Mr. Nelson would also survive another aircraft accident at Rocky Point, Rhode Island, on July 4, 1913, when a hydro-plane he was flying crashed in the water. For further details, look under “Civil Aviation Accidents” – “Rhode Island” on this website.
Mr. Nelson died in 1964.
Source: New York Tribune, “Flies For The Insane”, July 30, 1911
Quonset Point Naval Air Station Vintage Images
The Quonset Point Naval Air Station was located on Narragansett Bay in the town of North Kingstown, Rhode Island.
To see hundreds more vintage images of the Quonset Point Naval Air Station one can obtain two books published through Arcadia Press in their Images of America series titled: Quonset Point Naval Air Station, Volumes 1 & 2, by Seam Paul Milligan. Both books are highly informative.
Before the navy base, Quonset Point was a summer community. This real estate ad is from July of 1930.
Vintage Post Card View Of The Former Entrance To Quonset Point, NAS.
Quonset Point Naval Air Station Insignia patch
A Vintage Post Card View Of A Helicopter Over Quonset Point Naval Air Station
Lt. Jg. Kenneth B. McQuady Memorial
Quonset Air Museum
Lt. Jg. McQuady was killed on March 2, 1945, when his F6F Hellcat crashed on takeoff from Charlestown Auxiliary Air Field in Charlestown, Rhode Island. The propeller from his Hellcat was donated to the Quonset Air Museum in his memory.
Note: The Quonset Air Museum has permanently closed, and the propeller was moved to Ninigret Park in Charlestown.
For more information about this accident click here: Charlestown – March 2, 1945
Quonset Air Museum Memorial to Lt. Jg. Kenneth Bruce McQuady
Description of accident that killed Lt. McQuady
Otis Air Force Base – May 25, 1958
EC-121 Super Constellation
U.S. Air Force Photo
On May 25, 1958, an Air Force RC121 Super Constellation radar aircraft was destroyed by a series of explosions while sitting at Otis Air Force Base in Falmouth, Massachusetts. The crew of fourteen managed to escape with only minor injuries.
The plane was valued at $2,225,000.
The cause of the explosions was not apparent.
Source: New York Times, “Plane Explodes At Base”, May 26, 1958
Charlestown, Rhode Island – March 2, 1945
Charlestown Auxiliary Naval Air Field
Updated July 13, 2017
U.S. Navy F6F Hellcat
U.S. Navy photo
At 11:15 p.m. on March 2, 1945, Lt. (jg.) Kenneth B. McQuady, age 21, took off from Charlestown Auxiliary Naval Air Station in an F6F-5N Hellcat, (Bu. No. 71418,) for a night training flight. Just after he became airborne, his aircraft was seen to lose altitude and crash on the ice covered water of Charlestown Pond at the end of Runway 22. Upon impact the belly tank ruptured and caught fire. The plane bounced another 100 yards before coming to rest. Lt. McQuady received fatal injuries.
Lt. McQuady is buried in Wildwood Cemetery in Bartow, Florida.
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/37759116/kenneth-bruce-mcquady
The propeller from Lieutenant McQuady’s Hellcat was recovered years after his accident and presented to the Quonset Air Museum and made into a memorial.
Quonset Air Museum Memorial to Lt. Jg. Kenneth Bruce McQuady
Description of accident that killed Lt. McQuady
Unfortunately, since this original posting, the Quonset Air Museum has closed.
Sources:
Quonset Air Museum
U.S. Navy Accident Report dated March 2, 1945
Bridgeport, Connecticut – July 12, 1910
On July 12, 1910, famous Connecticut aviator, Gustave Whitehead, flew his monoplane into the side of a bridge in Bridgeport. The impact from the crash threw him out of the aircraft and knocked him unconscious. The aircraft was wrecked. No further details were given.
Source: (Ottumwa, Iowa) Ottumwa Tri-weekly Courier, “Connecticut Aviator Hurt”, July 14, 1910
Vintage View Of The Groton, Connecticut, Airport
Vintage Post Card View Of Groton, Conn. Airport
Click on image to enlarge
Hillsgrove Airport – December 22, 1940
Warwick, Rhode Island
On December 22, 1940, two aircraft, each flown by student pilots, collided in mid-air directly over Hillsgrove Airport. One, an Aeronca Cub, flown by Gilbert B. Kornstein, 19, and the other a Taylorcraft, flown by Millard McInnis, 26.
The impact broke the tail off the Aeronca, sending it plummeting to the ground killing Kornstein instantly.
McInnis was able to nurse his damaged plane down, clipping a tree and flipping over in the Norwood section of Warwick, about three miles from the airport. He required a tourniquet to stem the flow of blood from a leg wound, but he survived.
Source:
Woonsocket Call, “Young North Smithfield Flier Dies In Mid-Air Crash”, December 23, 1940, Pg. 1
Otis Air Force Base – May 8, 1957
Falmouth, Massachusetts
On May 8, 1957, Lieutenant Donald J. Flower Jr., 26, of Yonkers, New York, was killed when the fighter jet he was piloting crashed and burned upon landing at Otis AFB. He had flown to Otis from Shaw AFB in South Carolina.
The exact type of aircraft wasn’t stated.
Flower joined the Air Force in 1953 after graduating from Iona College in New Rochelle, New York. He was survived by his parents and four siblings.
Source: New York Times, “Yonkers Pilot Killed”, May 10, 1957
Hillsgrove Airport – September 21, 1936
Warwick, Rhode Island
Martin B-10 Bomber
U.S. Air Force Photo
In the beginning of September, 1936, members of the U.S. Army 99th Bombardment Squadron came to Hillsgrove Airport for two weeks of training. On the evening of September 21st, three B-10 Bombers took off a night training mission. Shortly afterwards, heavy fog settled over the area, and when the planes returned the pilots were given instructions via radio on how to land.
The first bomber to attempt a landing overshot the runway, and according to witnesses, its wheels almost touched down before the pilot gunned the engines for another attempt. Due to the heavy fog, the pilot evidently didn’t realize how close he was to the end of the runway, and the plane plowed into a patch of woods, broke apart, and caught fire. All three crewmen aboard died as a result of the crash.
The other two planes left the area and landed at Boston and Albany, New York.
The crew were identified as:
(Pilot) 2nd Lieut. Jack J. Neely, 25, of Hempstead, N.Y., died at St. Joseph’s Hospital. (Newspaper accounts state he was from Texas, but death records state Hempstead.)
Corporal Angelo Mazzaco, 26, of Long Branch, N.J., died at the scene. (Newspaper accounts state he was from Jersey City, N.J., but death records state Long Branch.)
Private Thaddeus Macaziewski, 28, of Schenectady, N.Y., died at St. Joseph’s Hospital. (Newspaper accounts identify him as Joseph, J., but Providence death records list him as Thaddeus.)
Sources:
Woonsocket Call, “Tragic Hillsgrove Accident Subject Of Two Inquiries”, September 22, 1936, Pg. 1
City of Providence, R. I. death records.
City of Warwick, R.I. death records.
First Airplane Trip Across long Island Sound – 1910
August 20, 1910
Clifford B. Harmon of Greenwich, Connecticut, is reportedly the first man to fly across Long Island Sound from Garden City, Long Island, to Greenwich, Connecticut, on August 20, 1910.
In an age when man travels in space aided by computer technology, it might seem trivial to mention something as mundane as an airplane flight across Long Island Sound. Yet such a trip was newsworthy in 1910, for nobody had ever done it before, and the press was eager to report any and all aviation “firsts”. After all, men had only been using airplanes for seven years.
Mr. Harmon was described as a “business man and amateur aviator”, who’d made several previous attempts to fly across the Sound without success.
Prior to beginning the day’s flight, Harmon met Charles K. Hamilton at the Garden City, L.I. aviation field and took him as a passenger on a test flight of his Farnum biplane. After circling the field and finding the plane in good order, he landed and discharged Hamilton before starting his flight across the Sound.
Once aloft, Harmon caught a good tail wind and headed out across Hempstead Bay and Long Island Sound. There he flew over the water, at one point reaching an altitude of 1,000 feet. As he neared the Connecticut shore he dropped to 400 feet and circled the Larchmont Yacht Club where he knew some friends of his were dinning. From there he headed towards the estate of his father-in-law, Commodore E. C. Benedict, where a section of lawn had been mowed and leveled for the occasion, but in the fading dusk he had trouble locating his intended landing spot, and came down instead on a patch of ground about a quarter of a mile away. As he touched down, his plane ran into a section of tall grass which caught the wheels and broke the chassis and some wires connected to the wings. Harmon, however, was unhurt. He’d made the 28 mile trip in just 30 minutes.
Shortly after his landing, Harmon’s wife arrived by automobile, having watched his trip across the sound through a large telescope at her father’s estate.
For successfully completing the trip, Mr. Harmon was awarded the Doubleday, Page Company Cup, said to be worth $2,000.
Source:
Norwich Bulletin, “Aeroplane Trip Over The Sound”, August 22, 1910.
New Hampshire Airport Dedication Postal Covers
Click on images to enlarge
Keene Airport Dedication – September, 1928
Twin Mountain Airport Dedication – August, 1930
North Smithfield, Rhode Island – June 29, 1934
Montgomery Airport
On June 29, 1934, Lieutenant Malcolm Stewart (U.S. Army) left Boston in a Douglas bi-plane bound for Montgomery Airport in North Smithfield to pick up Lieutenant Paul L. Smith, who was to fly the plane back to Boston for tactical flight training. As Stewart was coming in to land, he overshot the field, and just as the wheels touched down he gunned the engine for another try, but there wasn’t enough open space to gain altitude. The plane crashed into a stone wall and a cusp of trees at the end of the field. Stewart was saved from serious injury by his safety belt.
Montgomery Airport was located in the Waterford section of the town of North Smithfield, east of the Blackstone River, and north of present-day Route 146. Information gleaned from old Department of Commerce maps indicates the airport was in use only a short time beginning in the early 1930s, and was closed by 1936.
Source:
Woonsocket Call, “Local Airport Is Visited By Three Big Army Planes”, June 30, 1934, Pg. 1
Vermont Airport Dedication Postal Covers
Click on images to enlarge.
Twin State Airport Dedication
July, 1929
Rutland, Vermont – 1931
Missisquoi Airport Dedication Cover
Swanton, Vermont
St. Johnsbury Airport Dedication Postal Cover
Barre-Montpelier Airport Dedication
Morrisville, Vermont
State Airport Dedication
Off Sandwich, Massachusetts – June 24, 1956
F-94 Fighter Jet
U.S. Air Force Photo
On the evening of June 24, 1956, a flight of three F-94 Starifre jets left Langley Air Force Base in Virginia, en-route to Otis Air Force Base in Falmouth, Massachusetts. When they arrived at Otis they encountered poor weather conditions, and Otis tower held off their landing. As the F-94’s circled in a three-jet formation, two of the jets ran out of fuel and crashed into the sea.
The pilot and radar observer of one jet were rescued after they bailed out over the ocean. The pilot of the second plane was not recovered. (His aircraft did not have a radar observer aboard.)
A Coast Guard helicopter out of Boston taking part in the search and rescue operations crashed in Boston Harbor where it encountered thick fog upon its return. Two crewmen were rescued, a third was lost.
No names were listed in the source article.
Source: New York Times, “Two Jet Planes Crash”, June 25, 1956
Massachusetts State Police Aviation Patches
Courtesy of Barbara Haven
Two New England Balloon Records Set – 1910
On May 21, 1910, the following small news item appeared in the Rock Island Argus, a newspaper in Rock Island, Illinois.
NEW ENGLAND BALLOON MARK IS FRACTURED
“St. Hyacinthe, Quebec, May 21, – Two new records were established today when the balloon Cleveland, which ascended from North Adams (Mass.) last night, came down here at 6:28 this morning after the longest flight ever made by a balloon from New England, and the first time a balloon from New England has landed in Canada. The balloon traveled more than 200 miles in an airline and was in the air 11 hours 52 minutes and reached an altitude of 11,000 feet.”
Source: Rock Island Argus, “New England Balloon Mark Is Fractured”, May 21, 1910
Portland, Maine – June 26, 1949
Updated March 16, 2016
C-47 Aircraft – U.S. Air Force Photo
On the morning of June 26, 1949, a Maine National Guard C-47A, (Ser. No. 4292076), took off from Dow Air Force Base in Bangor, Maine, to transport 22 members of the of the 195th Army Band (Maine National Guard) to Portland, Maine, for an authorized drill. Besides the members of the band, the plane carried a pilot and co-pilot, for a total complement of 24 men.
Upon reaching Portland Airport, the pilot attempted to land on runway 10 and over shot it. After touching down, the pilot attempted to control the aircraft, but due to its weight and momentum found it impossible to do so. At the time it touched down, the plane was loaded with 3,700 pounds of fuel, 4,800 pounds of passenger weight, and an estimated 500 pounds of band equipment, bringing the total of 9,000 pounds over and above the static weight of the aircraft.
The plane left the end of the runway and crossed 100 feet of open ground before plunging into the Fore River. Despite the large amount of fuel aboard, there was no fire, and the aircraft didn’t flood or sink. However, the plane was a complete loss, and all 24 men aboard were transported to area hospitals with varying degrees of injury.
Sources:
U.S. Air Force Accident Report, #49-6-26-4
The Penobscot Times, (Maine), “Duplessis Describes Crash of C-47
Block Island, R. I. – August 27, 1931
Very little information is available about this accident. On the afternoon of August 27, 1931, Evald Lundberg, a.k.a. Gottfred E. Lundberg, of East Greenwich, Rhode Island, was burned to death when his airplane crashed on Block Island after his engine failed.
For those that don’t know, Block Island is three miles off the coast of Rhode Island.
Source: New York Times, “Flier Dies In Block Island Crash”, August 28, 1931.
Boston, Massachusetts – June 26, 1987
On June 26, 1987, a twin-engine Piper Senica was approaching Logan Airport in heavy fog conditions when it crashed three miles short of the runway in a Boston residential neighborhood. Although the pilot never radioed he was having a problem with the aircraft, one witness told reporters that he heard the engine sputtering before the crash.
The aircraft struck a three-story home on Lonsdale Street in the city’s Dorchester section and exploded. The resulting fire spread to three homes, and burned several cars. The 21-year-old pilot was killed, and three people on the ground suffered burns, one critically.
Source:
New York Times, “Airplane Plunges Into Boston Home”, June 27, 1987
Vineyard Sound – August 10, 1952
Between Martha’s Vineyard and Falmouth, Massachusetts
F-94 Fighter Jet
U.S. Air Force Photo
On August 10, 1952, a U. S. Air Force F-94 fighter jet piloted by Captain Hobart R. Gay, 28, took off from Otis Air Force base in Falmouth, Massachusetts, for a training flight. As he was returning to base, Gay radioed for landing instructions. Just afterwards, a Coast Guard watchman reported seeing his aircraft suddenly plunge into the water of Vineyard Sound and disappear.
The crash was also witnessed by a Falmouth auxiliary policeman who reported he saw a “streak of light” drop from the sky.
A search and rescue mission was immediately launched, but all that was found was an oil slick, and fragments of Captain Gay’s aircraft. His body was never recovered.
Captain Gay was a 1946 graduate of West Point. He flew 105 combat missions in Korea, earning the Distinguished Flying Cross, and Air Medal with three oak leaf clusters.
He was survived by his wife Jane, and his son, Hobart R. Gay III.
Source:
New York Times, “Jet Crash Victim Found To be Hero”, August 12, 1952
Falmouth Enterprise, “Auxiliary Policeman Sees Jet Plane Fall”, August 15, 1952
Seekonk, MA – August 14, 1932
Green Farm – Seekonk
On August 14, 1932, a Fairchild monoplane took off from Hillsgrove Airport in Warwick, R. I. with two men aboard for a sight seeing flight. The pilot, Edward Abrams, 35, of Rehoboth, Massachusetts, had rented the airplane and was considering buying it. Abrams had been giving rides in the airplane, and on this particular flight he was carrying Roland Holmes, 30, also of Rehoboth.
As the plane passed over Seekonk, Massachusetts, according to the newspaper account, the pilot “attempted to execute a left spiral movement, and in doing so lost flying speed and sent the plane into a left spin at an altitude of less than 300 feet.” The plane crashed on the Green Farm in Seekonk, about a quarter mile from the “Providence Airport” which is believed to be the What Cheer Airport in Pawtucket, as Providence didn’t have an airport.
Roland Holmes was killed in the crash, and Edward Abrams suffered a fractured skull, and it was reported that he may not recover.
Source: Woonsocket Call, “Plane Passenger Killed In Crash; Pilot Is Injured”, August 15, 1932
First Woman To Fly An Airplane In New England – 1912
June 29, 1912
According to a small newspaper article which appeared in The San Francisco Call, Miss Blanche Stuart Scott (1885-1970) was the first woman to fly an “aeroplane” in New England. The event occurred at the 3rd Boston Aero Meet scheduled to be held at Harvard Field in Squantum, Massachusetts, from June 29, to July 6, 1912.
The following is a transcript of the article:
MISS BLANCHE SCOTT OBTAINS AERO HONORS
“ BOSTON, June 29, – Miss Blanche Stuart Scott secured the distinction of being the first woman to fly an aeroplane in New England at the opening of the aviation meet in Squantum today. She used a biplane. Later Miss Harriet Quimby made a half hour’s flight in a new monoplane.”
The article indicates that Miss Scott flew before Harriet Quimby (1875 – July 1, 1912). Miss Quimby was famous for being the first woman in the Unites States to earn a pilot’s license, and for being the first woman to fly across the English Channel on April 16, 1912.
The 3rd Boston Aero Meet was scheduled to run from June 29 to July 6, but was cut short on July 1st when Miss Quimby and a passenger were killed when her plane crashed in Dorchester Bay.
Much has been written about the lives of both Miss Scott and Miss Quimby.
Source: The San Francisco Call, “Miss Blanche Scott Obtains Aero Honors”, June 30, 1912, Page 22.
The Sun, (N.Y.)
June 1, 1913
Northampton, Massachusetts – April 20, 1965
On the evening of April 20, 1965, a helicopter was taking off from La Fleur Airport in Northampton, when the driveshaft to the tail rotor suddenly snapped while the craft was 40 feet in the air. The helicopter crashed, but all of the four men aboard escaped injury.
Those aboard included the pilot, David W. Graham, Massachusetts State Senator Charles A. Bisbie Jr., Massachusetts Governor John A. Volpe, and his aide, George Luciano.
The helicopter was en-route to Boston when the accident happened.
Source:
New York Times, “Volpe Is Uninjured In A Copter Crash”, April 21, 1965
Westerly, R.I. – September 2, 1929
Updated November 26, 2022
At 4:30 p.m. on the afternoon of September 2, 1929, a small airplane with a pilot and two women passengers aboard took off from Misquamicut Field, (Today known as Westerly Airport), for what was to be a sightseeing flight over the area. Shortly after take off, while at an altitude of 75 to 100 feet, the engine began to skip. The pilot attempted to remedy the situation by opening the throttle, but this didn’t correct the malfunction. He then banked the aircraft with the intention of returning to the airfield. Realizing he wouldn’t make it to the field, he aimed for Brightman’s Pond, a small salt water pond between Masquamicut Beach and the airfield. Realizing that a crash was inevitable, the pilot undid his safety belt and called for the women to do the same. The plane crashed short of the pond, coming down on Misquamicut Beach. It landed on its left wing, and just as it did so the pilot jumped clear. The aircraft then spun around before coming to an abrupt stop. Immediately afterwards the plane erupted in flames, and the two passengers perished.
According to witnesses, the pilot attempted to reach the plane but was driven back by the smoke and flames.
It was reported that the pilot admitted to state police investigators that he’d failed to turn off the ignition prior to the crash.
The dead were identified as Mrs. Marie A. Hunter, (31), of 3 Avery Street, Westfield, Massachusetts, and Miss Marie Day, (20), of 20 Colton Avenue, West Springfield, Massachusetts. No autopsies were performed.
The type of aircraft is unknown.
Sources:
Woonsocket Call, “2 Women Die In Airplane Crash Near Westerly”, September 3, 1929
Woonsocket Call, “Fatal Airplane Crash Probed”, September 4, 1929, Pg. 3.
Springfield, Massachusetts – May 27, 1910
At 3:15 p.m. on May 27, 1910, the balloon Pittsfield took off from Pittsfield, Massachusetts. Aboard were two men, J. Walter Flagg, and W. J. Kelley, both of Worcester, Mass. After drifting south eastward for more than two hours, they decided to land at 5:30 p.m. By this time they were somewhere above the city of Springfield, Massachusetts.
After dropping two bags of ballast-sand overboard, the Pittsfield began to descend from an altitude of 7,800 feet. However, it was noticed that as she was dropping, she was also gaining speed, and without warning suddenly began a rapid and uncontrolled fall from the sky. The balloon dropped so fast that the occupants were forced to cling to the rigging lest they be pitched into space, and were therefore unable to toss out any further ballast to lighten the load.
The Pittsfield was headed straight for the Springfield Country Club, and several golfers happened to notice what was taking place, but were powerless to do anything. Flagg and Kelley, certain that a crash landing was imminent, scrambled up into the rope rigging so as not to be in the gondola at the moment of impact.
Then, by some miracle, the balloon suddenly decelerated while it was still barely 100 feet in the air, and instead of being dashed to pieces, came down with a hard thud on the greens. Neither man was seriously injured.
Source:
New York Times, “Aeronauts’ Narrow Escape”, May 28, 1910
From Otis Air Force Base – August 7, 1951
T-33 Trainer Jet
U.S. Air Force Photo
On August 7, 1951, a T-33 trainer jet with two men aboard left Otis Air Force Base in Falmouth, Massachusetts, for a training flight to Griffiss Air Force Base in Rome, New York. The pilot was Major C. H. Imschweiler, 34, of Schuylkill, Penn. The second man was Lieutenant John A. Carver Jr., 30, of Ann Arbor, Michigan.
When the plane reached Griffiss, they encountered bad weather, and made two unsuccessful attempts to land. By this time the T-33 was low on fuel, and rather than risk another attempt at landing, the crew was advised to fly north and bail out of the plane. At 6:03 p.m. Imschweiler radioed Griffiss that they were bailing out. Nothing more was heard of the plane, and large-scale search and rescue operation was begun.
It took five days to locate the downed aircraft . The crew was found to be still inside the wreck.
Sources:
Geneva Daily Times, “City CAP Joins Search For Missing Jet Pilots” August 10, 1951, Pg. 7
New York Times, “2 Missing Fliers Hunted”, August 11, 1951
New York Times, “2 Lost Jet Airmen Are Dead In Wreck”, August 12, 1951
Newport, R.I. – July 20, 1923
Updated January 9, 2016
On July 20, 1923, a plane belonging to the New York – Newport Air Line (Service) was making a flight from New York City to Newport, Rhode Island, with a pilot and two passengers aboard, when it crashed at Newport. The aircraft, named Fleet Wing, suddenly fell from an altitude of 75 feet while making a sharp turn in preparation for a water landing. The plane plunged into the water and flipped over, and all three men were ejected by the impact.
The most seriously injured was H. Cary Morgan, who suffered a compound fracture to his leg. He was transported to Newport Naval Hospital where it was determined that his leg was too badly mangled to be saved, and amputation was necessary. A pint-and-a-half of blood was donated by Pharmacists Mate 3C William J. Majeski of Meriden, Connecticut. Unfortunately, complications set in, and Mr. Morgan passed away.
The pilot, H.H. Thorburn, and the other passenger, Henry Fowler, survived the crash with minor injuries.
The terminal for the airline was close to the Newport Naval Station. When the accident occurred, help from the station arrived quickly. The heavily damaged plane was towed to shore by two navy boats.
The airline also had another plane in its fleet, the Gray Lark, which had arrived a few minutes before the accident.
Sources:
Woonsocket Call, “Newport Line Plane Upsets As It Lands”, July 21, 1923, Pg. 9
Woonsocket Call, “H. Cary Morgan Dead Following Accident”, July 24, 1923, Pg. 1
Meriden Morning Record, “Meriden Boy Gives His Blood In Vain”, July 30, 1923
New York Times, “Air Liner Crashes In Newport Landing”, July 21, 1923
Bellows Falls, Vermont – August 20, 1875
On August 20, 1875, a man identified as “Professor Bristol” an aeronaut with “Cole’s Circus” was in a balloon 1,000 feet above Bellows Falls, when a current of cold air running along the Connecticut River caught the craft and caused it to rapidly descend towards the water. Just as the balloon was about to hit the water above the falls, the breeze blew it a little towards shore, which gave Professor Bristol the chance to jump clear and make it to safety. No sooner had he done so, the balloon touched down and went over the falls where it was wrecked.
Source: (Vermont) Orleans County Monitor, (no headline) August 30, 1875
Dalton, Massachusetts – July 29, 1908
On July 29, 1908, a large gas balloon, Heart of the Berkshires, ascended from the Pittsfield Aero Park with three men aboard. There was Leo Stevens, the owner, and Allen R. Hawley, both of New York, as well as C. R. Van Sicle of Pittsfield.
As the balloon drifted over the nearby town of Dalton, it was suddenly caught in a powerful updraft and rapidly carried to an altitude of 7,00o feet, and was still rising. Stevens did what he could to slow the balloon by releasing some of the gas form the envelope, all the while the drag rope, which usually hung below the gondola, was being slapped against the side of the balloon by the strong draft threatening to tear a hole in it.
When the balloon reached 10,000 feet the updraft died away, but now, with the envelope relieved of much of its buoyant gas, the balloon began a rapid descent. All excess weight was jettisoned from the gondola to slow the fall, which included ropes, ballast bags, and anything else they could think of. The rate of fall slowed, but it was clear they couldn’t remain airborne.
As they neared the ground they saw they would be coming down in a field where men were at work cutting hay. One was operating a large mowing machine which it appeared the balloon was heading straight for. Stevens and the others tried to shout warnings, but the operator evidently couldn’t hear them. At the last moment he looked up and saw what was happening, and barely got out of the way in the nick of time.
The balloon struck the ground, but no injuries were reported.
Source: (Woonsocket, R.I.) Evening Call, July 30, 1908, pg. 1
Hillsgrove Airfield – May 26, 1927
Warwick, Rhode Island
Hillsgrove Airfield is now T. F. Green State Airport
Navy Lieutenant Adolphus W. Gorton standing next to the Curtis Marine Flying Trophy which he won in 1922.
Library Of Congress Photo
On May 26, 1927, navy Lieutenants Adolphus W. Gorton and Clifton Sprague were scheduled to fly from Hillsgrove Airfield in Warwick, Rhode Island, to Washington, D.C.. The plane took off with Gorton at the helm, and when the aircraft was barely 100 feet off the ground it suddenly looped in a circle and struck the top of thirty-foot tree near the end of the field. After glancing off the tree, the aircraft plunged downward into the ground, plowing the turf for thirty-five feet before coming to rest in a heap of wreckage.
Lieutenant Sprague escaped with minor injuries, but Gorton suffered the loss of three teeth and his nose was reportedly “torn nearly from his face”. The crash was witnessed by Lieutenant Gorton’s mother who had gone to the airfield to see him off. Gorton later recovered rom his injuries.
Lt. Adolphus Worthington Gorton was born in Pawtuxet, Rhode Island, on January 29, 1897, the son of Charles A. Gorton Jr.. After attending Dartmouth College for one year, he entered the American Ambulance Service shortly before the United States entered WWI, and served in France. Seven months later he was operated on for appendicitis and was sent home. After his recovery, he transferred to the naval air service and began pilot training.
As a naval pilot, he distinguished himself in may ways throughout his career. A few examples include:
On October 8, 1922 he won the Curtis Marine Flying Trophy in Detroit, Michigan for attaining an average speed of 112.6 mph. The trophy was sterling silver worth at the time to be $5,000.
On August 8, 1923, he broke two aviation speed records in one day flying a U. S. Navy NW-2 over the Delaware River at 177.5 mph, and then 185.5 mph respectively.
On July 3, 1929, Gorton successfully “docked” his aircraft while in flight to the airship USS Los Angeles.
Gorton died September 28, 1989 in Florida at the age of 92.
Sources:
New York Times, “Lieut. Gorton Wins Air Race”, October 9, 1922
Providence Journal, “Lieut. Gorton Hurt As Plane Crashes”, May 27, 1924, Pg. 1
Nomans Land Island, Massachusetts – July 2, 1950
On the morning of July 2, 1950, two men, identified as David Brooks, 33, and Robert Fischer, 28, took off from Beverly Airport, in Beverly, Massachusetts, planning to return in the afternoon. When they failed to return by 9:30 that night, a relative contacted the Coast Guard, and despite heavy fog conditions a search was instituted. The men were found early the following morning on Nomans Land Island (a.k.a No Mans Land Island) which is located about three miles southwest off the coast of Martha’s Vineyard.
They’d gone to the uninhabited island to photograph wild flowers, but the aircraft had crashed, pinning one of them in the wreckage. Both were transported to a hospital and treated for their injuries.
Today the island is a wildlife refuge and closed to the public due to the possibility of unexploded military ordinance. Between 1943 and 1996 the island was used by the military for bombing and gunnery practice. For more information about the island see Wikipedia.
Source:
Falmouth Enterprise, “Fog Hampers Coast guard Rescues Of Light Plane And yacht”, July 7, 1950
Chatham, Massachusetts – July 11, 1949
Republic F-84C – U.S. Air Force Photo
On July 12, 1949, 2nd Lt. William M. King, 25, of Kenmore, N.Y., was piloting an F-84 Thunderjet (Ser. No. 47-1475) on a gunnery practice mission over Cape Cod, Massachusetts, when he crashed on Monomy Point in the town of Chatham and was killed.
King was assigned to the 33rd Fighter Wing at Otis Air Force Base.
Source: New York Times, “Pilot Killed In Jet Crash”, July 12, 1949
New England Plane Crashes That Never Happened
By Jim Ignasher
Updated May 6, 2016
Updated May 12, 2016
Updated October 20, 2017
The following stories are about New England aviation accidents that never happened, although in some cases they were reported as fact. Perhaps this is how legends get started.
On April 3, 1906, great excitement rippled through the populace of the small town of Franklin, Massachusetts, as word spread that an airship had crashed in the northern part of town. Dozens flocked to the area, but found nothing. Had the airship been repaired and left? Hardly. It wasn’t exactly April Fools, but it was close enough for a man identified only as a “practical joker” living in north Franklin near the Medway town line. The day before, a large number of people reported seeing what they thought was an airship pass over the town. The joker took it one step further and told several people that the airship had broken down, and landed in a field near his farm. As with the childhood game of “Telephone”, the landing became a crash, as the facts were twisted with each retelling.
The following three incidents took place in 1942 at a time when our country was immersed in the Second World War. Were they the result of wartime jitters, overactive imaginations, or something else?
On April 25, 1942, the North Providence, (R.I.) police department began to receive reports that an army bomber had crashed and burst into flames somewhere in the town. Some reported seeing a column of smoke, but couldn’t tell the exact location from where it originated. A search was instituted, and army officials were notified, and as word spread citizens were on the alert.
By the afternoon the Associated Press was carrying the story. An army public relations officer in Boston stated he believed the craft to be an army bomber, and although he didn’t know how many men were aboard, the usual number was five.
An army observation plane was brought in to assist with the search, but by the end of the day nothing had been found, and no military aircraft were unaccounted for.
Less than a week later, a man in Bellingham, Massachusetts, reported that he saw a twin-engine army aircraft flying at tree-top level and assumed it crashed in a wooded area near Silver Lake. Apparently his assumption was based on the fact the engines weren’t making any sound, and that at one pint he saw the wings clip the trees.
Bellingham police notified the army, and a search was instituted. Residents in the Spring Street section told officers they had seen an army aircraft pass low in the sky with its engines throttled down, but didn’t know anything about a crash. One citizen stated the plane had passed directly over him and then suddenly disappeared.
Police officers, firefighters, and civilian volunteers searched through the woods for several hours, but didn’t find anything, and the army determined that none of its planes were missing.
The fourth case didn’t involve a report of an actual plane crash, but of parachutes descending from the sky – possibly from a disabled aircraft.
At about 5:45 p.m. on November 4 1942, Sgt. Michael Ryan of the Fall River police was stopped by a motorist who reported seeing parachutists descending over the area of the Fall River Reservoir located in the northern part of the city. A short time later another person approached him with the same report. One claimed to have seen one parachute and a plane, the other, three parachutes.
At about the same time frame, Patrolman Michael Hart received a report of parachutes as he patrolled the central portion of the city.
At 6:30 p.m. another call about parachutes was received at police headquarters.
Patrol cars sent to investigate found nothing, and aircraft spotters stationed in a fire tower near the reservoir hadn’t seen any parachutes.
Yet reports kept coming, and chutes were also allegedly seen over Fall River’s neighboring communities, and in nearby Rhode Island. Strangely, nobody had reported a plane crash, only parachutes, which raised the possibility of enemy saboteurs.
State and local police, aided by auxiliary volunteers, and the army, scoured the landscape in both states, but nothing was found. At one point excitement rose when one group of volunteers reported that the parachutists were “bottled up” in Narragansett Bay, but this too was false.
Authorities learned that neither the army nor the navy was missing any aircraft, and there had been no reported bailouts or scheduled parachute jumps in the area. No explanation for the sightings was ever given.
Updated May 12, 2016
On January 8, 1988, a heavy snow storm was blowing across central New Hampshire. It was during this storm that authorities received an s.o.s. radio message from a man identifying himself only as “Dale”, a survivor of a small jet crash. Dale claimed five people had been aboard; one was dead, and the other three seriously injured.
The May Day call sparked a large scale search and rescue operation that later involved up to 20 aircraft. One aircraft in particular was a navy plane that was re-routed to begin the search. The pilot flew low level search patterns in dangerous weather conditions for over four hours, all the while remaining in radio contact with “Dale”. Unfortunately the plane was forced to leave the area due to deteriorating weather and low fuel capacity. The following day the downed plane report was determined to be a hoax.
Investigation led authorities to a 29-year-old man from Laconia, New Hampshire, who was charged and put on trial in May of 1988. He was convicted, and sentenced to one year in a federal prison, and ordered to undergo psychiatric evaluation.
Coincidentally, it was about the time of the man’s trial that the following incident occurred.
Updated May 6, 2016
On the night October 3, 1988, a man identifying himself as a Captain from Pease Air Force Base contacted authorities in the town of Milford, New Hampshire to report that a B-1 bomber aircraft with two men aboard had crashed in a wooded area behind Chappell Tractor Sales Inc. on Route 13 South. The man further reported that the pilot had managed to eject from the aircraft before it crashed.
Milford Fire and Police responded to the area, as did members of the U.S. Air Force, but within an hour it was determined that the call had been a hoax.
Updated October 20, 2017
Shortly after midnight on November 8, 1974, a man called the Connecticut State Police Montville barracks to report that he’d heard what he thought was a sputtering airplane engine followed by a loud crash in the vicinity of the Waterford-East Lyme town line near I-95. Another caller described hearing a “low whining noise” before the crash. Several others also called to report a crash.
An air and ground search was organized, but nothing was found, and there were no reports of any missing aircraft. No emergency radio distress called had been received, and all Connecticut civilian and military aircraft were accounted for. The search was called off and the report was determined to be “unfounded”.
Sources:
Westerly Sun, (R.I.), “Crash Report Is Said Unfounded”, November 8, 1974, page 2
Hartford Courant,” No Trace Found Of Airplane”, November 9, 1974, page 4.
Sources:
The (Woonsocket) Evening Reporter, “Joker Causes Excitement” , April 4, 1906, Pg. 3
Woonsocket Call, “Bomber Crashes In No. Providence”, April 25, 1942, Pg.1
Woonsocket Call, Army Plane Crash Report Probed”, May 4, 1942 Pg. 1
Woonsocket Call, “Plane Crash Report Proves Franklin Hoax”, May 5, 1942, Pg. 2
Woonsocket Call, “Chutists Sought Near Fall River”, November 5, 1942, Pg. 1
Bangor Daily News, “”N.H. man Indicted In Plane Crash Hoax”, February 25, 1988
Bangor Daily News, “Trial Opens In Case Of Staged Plane Crash”, May 3, 1988
Bangor Daily News, “N.H. Man Convicted Of Faking Plane Crash”, May 5, 1988
Nashua Telegraph, “Jet Crash Hoax Draws Searchers”, October 4, 1988
New Britain, Connecticut – April 29, 1871
On April 29, 1871, Professor J. W. Hayden, an aeronaut with the Stone & Murray Circus, was giving a balloon exhibition in New Britain. (Hayden was often advertised as having made 10,000 balloon ascensions. )
On this particular day, the balloon with Hayden inside rose to an altitude of 1,000 feet and suddenly burst. The escaping gas caused a rapid fall and when the basket hit the ground Hayden suffered a broken leg.
Sources:
New Orleans Republican, (News item, no headline) May 4, 1871, Page 4.
Cambridge Chronicle, Circus Advertisement, June 3, 1871
Mashpee-Falmouth Area
Massachusetts – October 9, 1951
F-94 Starfire
U.S. Air Force Photo
On October 9, 1951, a U. S. Air Force F-94 Starfire jet was coming in for a landing at Otis Air Force Base in Falmouth, Massachusetts, when a wingtip fuel tank, reported to be, “probably empty”, unexpectedly fell away and came down in a wooded area somewhere to the west of a traffic rotary on Route 28 in the nearby town of Mashpee, Massachusetts. The pilot estimated that the tank might have landed far enough to the west of the traffic rotary that it came down in Falmouth.
A search for the missing tank was instituted, but as of October 12th it hadn’t been found. The tank was described as being about five feet long, cigar-shaped, and made of aluminum. Citicens with any information as to its whereabouts were asked to notify Falmouth police or Otis base.
Source: Falmouth Enterprise, “Wingtip Gas Tank Falls From Otis Jet”, October 12, 1951
Charlestown Auxiliary Naval Airfield Memorial
Charlestown, Rhode Island
Charlestown Naval Auxiliary Field began operations in September of 1943. Ensign George H. W. Bush trained there in 1944. The field was decommissioned January 30, 1974, and is today known as Ninigret Park.
During its years of operation, 62 airmen connected to the field lost their lives. At the bottom of this page are some links relating to the names on the memorial.
Click on images to enlarge.
Memorial to the 62 men who lost their lives at Charlestown Auxiliary Field, Charlestown, R.I.
Names of those on the memorial.
CLICK TO ENLARGE
Sign for Charlestown Auxiliary Landing Field
Charlestown, R.I.
Links to most of the names on the memorial that tell their story:
Otis Air Force Base – April 14, 1958
Falmouth, Massachusetts
F-94 Fighter Jet
U.S. Air Force Photo
On April 14, 1958, an F-94 Starfire jet was returning to Otis Air Force Base after a training flight when it was discovered that the landing gear wouldn’t come down. The pilot, 2nd Lt. Ragner Erickson,and his radar observer, 1st Lt. Francis DePipi, circled the area for 45 minutes using up the fuel supply as base fire crews coated the runway with foam.
When it was time, Lt. Erickson brought the aircraft in for a wheels-up belly landing. The foam did its job and there was no fire. The crew was uninjured.
Source: Falmouth Enterprise, (no headline) (two photos) (short narrative)
Narragansett Bay – February 10, 1945
One mile northeast off Quonset Point Naval Air Station
U.S. Navy F6F Hellcat
U.S. Navy photo
On February 10, 1945, Ensign Pierce Hubert Beach, 22, took off from Quonset Point Naval Air Station in North Kingstown, Rhode Island, in an F6F-5N Hellcat (Bu. No. 58058) for a routine training flight where he and other aircraft were to practice carrier landings and takeoffs. He was killed when his plane crashed into Narragansett Bay.
Ensign Beach earned his pilots wings at Pensacola, Florida, in May of 1944, and was married in June, ’44. To see a photo of Ensign beach, click on the link below.
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/180839171/pierce-hubert-beach
Sources:
Lewiston Daily Sun, “Navy Pilot Killed; Another Missing”, February 12, 1945, Pg. 1
Larry Webster, Aviation Historian & Archeologist
The (Bunnell Florida) Flagler Tribune, (no headline) February 15, 1945
U.S. Navy Accident Report dated February 10, 1945
Narragansett Bay – July 27, 1928
Rhode Island
On July 27, 1928, a U. S. Navy Loeing amphibian aircraft was on a training flight over Narragansett Bay with three men aboard. The pilot was Ensign Forrest Lockwood McGurk, (USNR) who was receiving flight instruction from Lt. Jg. Thomas J. Kirkland. Also aboard was Aviation Mechanic Oathe M. Sloane.
Shortly after 10:00 a.m., McGurk was attempting to turn the plane in anticipation of a water landing when the plane suddenly went into a spin and crashed into the bay between Conanicut Point and Prudence Island. Lt. Kirkland was able to free himself and then pull Sloane from the rear cockpit, but McGurk was pinned in the wreckage and sank with the plane. Twice Kirkland dove under water in an attempt to free him, but was unable. Fortunately Kirkland and Sloane were able to cling to a wingtip pontoon which had broken free from the impact, and floated for fifteen minutes before being rescued by a boat from the naval torpedo station in Newport.
When the aircraft was later hauled to the surface, it took over an hour to remove Ensign McGurk’s body.
Ensign McGurk was one day shy of his 24th birthday. He enlisted in the Naval Reserve in May of 1927, and received his officer’s commission five months later. Two days prior to the crash, he reported for duty aboard the U.S.S. Wright in Newport to continue his flight training before his upcoming sea duty.
It was reported that this was the third navy plane crash off Newport in seven weeks. Lt. Homer N. Wilkinson was killed on June 9, 1928, when his plane crashed on the shore of Jamestown, R.I.. Commander Thalbert N. Alford, and Lt. Cmdr. William Butler Jr. were killed when their plane crashed in Narragansett Bay on July 2, 1928.
Source:
Providence Journal, “Student Aviator Killed As Plane Crashes Into Bay”, July 28, 1928 pg. 1
Saugus, Massachusetts – September 2, 1911
On September 2, 1911, an aviator, identified only by his last name of Schumacker, was taking off from Franklin Field in Saugus in a biplane belonging to Guy Foss, the son of Massachusetts Governor Eugene N. Foss. According to witnesses, the aircraft had attained an altitude of 20 feet when it was hit by a gust of wind that nearly overturned it. As the plane was nearly upside-down, Schmacker jumped free of the controls and tumbled along the ground. The airplane continued downward for another few feet and was smashed apart when it hit the ground.
Mr. Schumacker escaped with only minor injuries.
Source: (N.Y.) The Sun, September 3, 1911, page 5
Otis Air Force Base – November 6, 1958
Falmouth, Massachusetts
F-94 Starfire
U.S. Air Force Photo
On November 6, 1958, an F-94 Starfire jet was taking off from Otis Air Force Base when both auxiliary fuel tanks unexpectedly fell from the wings, struck the runway, and exploded. The F-94, piloted by 1st Lt. Raymond Nishibayashi, managed to get airborne, and circled the base while ground crews put out the fires.
Nishibayashi and his radar observer, 1st Lt. Allen E. Freiberg landed safely.
Both men were assigned to the 60th Fighter Interceptor Squadron at Otis.
Source:
Falmouth Enterprise, “Fire On Runway”, November 7, 1958
Woonsocket, R.I. – June 12, 1919
Post card view of a U.S. Army plane at
Mineola Filed, N.Y. – 1918
In the spring of 1919, the U.S. Army was looking to recruit new pilots to replace those that had been discharged since the end of World War One. To that end, the army organized “air circuses” to be performed by army pilots at local airfields around the country. The events would be advertised in local papers to generate interest, and usually drew large crowds.
So it was on June 12, 1919 that a U.S. Army, Curtis bi-plane, took off from Mineola, Long Island at 11:15 a.m. headed for Middletown, Connecticut. The pilot was Lieutenant R.C. Mofett and the observer was Private O.V. Rubel. They arrived at Middletown in the early afternoon and ate lunch while their plane was serviced. An hour later they were airborne again and set a course for Camp Devens, Massachusetts, where they would join up with other aircraft.
As they were passing over Burrillville, Rhode Island, Lieutenant Mofett realized they were low on fuel. Apparently the ground crew at Middletown had neglected to top off the tanks.
Air fields were few and far between in those days and landing in just any open field carried risks. The landing gear could land in a rut causing it to nose-over, or a wing could dip causing it to tear away. Their maps showed that the nearest airfield was in Woonsocket only a few miles away.
As the plane neared Woonsocket Airport, the motor began to sputter and Mofett realized they would never make the air field. Looking down, he spotted an open area known as “Ronian’s Field” near present-day Mount St. Charles Academy, and put the plane in a glide and aimed for the field.
As the ground loomed closer, Mofett suddenly noticed young Evelyn Moody sitting on a stone wall at the near end of the field. He could feel the plane dropping lower than he expected, and realized there was a good chance they might not make the field. If that was the case then they would strike the wall right where the little girl was sitting!
Mofett shouted desperately at the little girl who looked up to see the aircraft coming straight at her. There are many children and adults alike who would have sat frozen in terror at such a sight, but Evelyn was quick to react. Not a moment to soon, she rolled off the wall and landed on its opposite side just as the landing gear crashed into the very spot where she had been sitting! With its landing gear torn away, the aircraft passed over Evelyn as she lay hugging the ground against the far side of the wall. When the fuselage struck the grassy field it plowed into the soft earth throwing its occupants forward against the front of their cockpits. Lieutenant Mofett suffered a gash to his head that would require stitches, but otherwise the men were alright. Evelyn was lucky too, and stood up to stare at the wrecked plane, a sight she would undoubtedly remember for the rest of her life.
It was reported that the accident attracted almost 5,000 people from the area. Woonsocket’s Chief of Police was forced to detail a squad of officers to hold crowds at bay until Army officials could send mechanics to remove the plane. In the meantime, the aircrew was taken to the St. James Hotel in downtown Woonsocket.
Source
The Woonsocket Call, “Plane Forced To Land Here”, June 13, 1919, Page 1
Falmouth, Massachusetts – November 26, 1936
On November 26, 1936, Bernarr Macfadden, a well known physical fitness advocate, author, and magazine publisher, left New York in an airplane with three friends to fly to Falmouth, Massachusetts , to celebrate Thanksgiving at the home of Fulton Oursler, an author and magazine editor. Also aboard the plane was Doctor Dana Coman, Helen Coman, (daughter of the doctor), Fern Matson, and the pilot.
As the plane was landing at Coonamessett Airport in Falmouth, something caused it to turn over upside-down on the runway. All aboard were wearing seatbelts which saved them from any injuries.
Coonamessett Airport was located in the Hatchville section of Falmouth, and was in operation between 1933 and 1968.
Sources:
New York Times, “Macfadded In Air Crash”, November 27, 1936
Wikiedia – Coonamessett Airport
Wikipedia – Bernarr Macfadden
Glocester, R.I. – January 17, 1966
On January 17, 1966, a single-engine Beechcraft T-34 took off from North Central Airport in Smithfield en-route to upstate New York. Shortly after take off, the pilot noticed the oil pressure dropping rapidly. After declaring an emergency, he attempted to return to North Central, but then the engine began to skip and sputter before it stopped completely. The pilot was forced to set the plane down in an open field on the farm of Kenneth Clemence, located on Tarklin Road near the Glocester/Smithfield town line.
The plane skidded about 40 yards across the field up a slight incline before coming to rest against a stone wall. Damage was minor, and the pilot, Airman 1c William J. Fornes, 26, and his passenger, Airman 1c Richard L. Berube, 20, both of Griffiss Air Force base in Rome, New York, were unhurt. The plane was a civilian aircraft belonging to a flying-club at Griffiss.
Source: Providence Journal, “Plane’s Forced Landing Probed”, January 18, 1966, Pg. 31
Rocky Point, R.I. – July 4, 1913
Nels J. Nelson was sixteen when the Wright Brothers flew at Kittyhawk, North Carolina, in 1903. Eight years later he was building his own airplanes in New Britain, Connecticut. His first airplane made its maiden flight over Plainfield, Connecticut, May 1st, 1911.
Nelson took to giving flying exhibitions which were well received by a public eager to see what those “new fangled flying machines” could do. By 1913 he’d developed what he called a “Hydroplane” capable of taking off and landing in water. On July 1, 1913, Nelson flew his Hydroplane over Providence, Rhode Island, where he circled the area of Exchange Place and City Hall twice before making a turn around the dome of the state capitol. From there he flew south where he landed in the water just off shore from the famous Rocky Point Amusement Park in Warwick. The purpose of the flight was to generate interest in several flying exhibitions he was to give at Rocky Point as part of the 4th of July celebration festivities. Advertisements of his arrival had been posted in local papers for several days.
Mr. Nelson was scheduled to give three exhibitions on July 4th; at 10 a.m., 2 p.m., and 5 p.m. An article that appeared in The Woonsocket Call on July 5th described the first flight; “Shortly before 10 o’clock Nels Nelson sailed his 70 horse-power flying boat out into the bay in front of the Mansion House, watched by thousands of interested spectators. The motor began to buzz and immediately the huge hydroplane commenced to skim at a rapid rate over the water. As soon as the maximum speed was attained, the planes were slanted and the boat rose into the air, dripping like a sea gull which had captured its prey. For a few moments Nelson drove the machine on the level – about 12 feet from the surface of the bay. Soon, however, he rose higher until it became necessary to tip back one’s head to watch the flight. Higher and higher went the boat, finally becoming but a speck in the sky sailing towards Prudence Island.”
On the second flight of the day Nelson took 21-year-old Irving Tukey aboard as a passenger. The take-off went smoothly and the flight was uneventful until the aircraft was returning to land. As Nelson was making his final approach, he cut power to the engine in anticipation of gliding down to the water, but at that instant, a strong gust of wind caught the plane and sent it into a sharp down-turn into the Narragansett Bay from an altitude of 60 feet.
Tukey suffered a broken wrist, a laceration to his forehead and numerous bumps and bruises. Nelson was battered and dazed, but otherwise alright. Both men were rescued by a private boat that was anchored nearby watching the festivities.
What became of Nelson’s hydroplane isn’t recorded, but the accident didn’t deter him from further flying. The following September he flew another plane that he had built from New Britain, Connecticut to Chicago, Illinois.
Mr. Nelson died in 1964 at the age of 77. Many of his fellow aviators never reached middle age. His interest in aviation continued throughout his life. Between 1903 and 1964, (the span of 61 years), he had witnessed the birth of the airplane, the jet, the rocket, and manned space flight.
Sources:
The Woonsocket Call, “Birdman Flies At Rocky Point”, July 3, 1913, Page 10
The Woonsocket Call, “Fourth Big Day At Rocky Point”, July 5, 1913, Page. 2
The Woonsocket Call, “Drop Into Bay”, July 7, 1913, Page 1
Internet website www.earlyaviators.com Nels J. Nelson, 1887-1964
Saugus, Massachusetts – February 9, 1941
On February 9, 1941, a single-engine private biplane was stunt flying over Saugus. Witnesses recalled that the plane had just completed three loops and was beginning a fourth when it suddenly dove to the ground from an altitude of 400 feet. The plane crashed in the yard of a home belonging to Harry Butler, just missing the house by a few feet. Both men aboard the plane were killed.
The dead were identified as Laurence G. Hanscom, 34, of Worcester, Mass., and Dr. Anthony V. Carbone, 34, of Cambridge, Mass.
The plane had been a trainer aircraft, with a dual set of controls. Dr. Carbone had been a student pilot.
Hanscom was a well known newspaper correspondent working for the Worcester Telegram, and had been a pilot since 1919. He was also the commander of the Massachusetts Wing of the Civilian Air Reserve. The group numbered about 150 licensed pilots, and others interested in aerial photography and map making.
His death occurred the day before he was scheduled to enter the Royal Canadian Flying Corps as an instructor. (At the time of this accident, the United States hadn’t entered World War II.)
In February 1943, Hanscom Air Force Base in Bedford, Massachusetts, was named in his honor.
Sources:
(New Hampshire) The Nashua Telegraph, “No Explanation For Saugus Crash”, February 10, 1941
(Maine) Lewiston Daily Sun, “Airplane Crash Kills Two Men At Saugus”, February 10, 1941
Otis Air Force Base – July 9, 1954
Falmouth, Massachusetts
On the afternoon of July 9, 1954, air force captain Robert J. Fox was scheduled to fly a single-engine L-20 airplane on a routine training flight from Otis Air Force Base in Falmouth, Massachusetts. As he was lifting off the runway at 4:05 p.m., the aircraft suddenly lost altitude dipping its wing which caught the ground causing the plane to crash. Despite heavy damage to the plane, was no fire, and Captain Fox escaped without injury.
Fox was assigned to the 4707th Air defense Wing as a communications electronics officer.
Source:
Falmouth Enterprise, “Capt. Robert Fox Unhurt In Crash”, July 9, 1954
Newport, Rhode Island – July 2, 1928
Commander
Thalbert N. Alford
On July 2, 1928, Commander Thalbert N. Alford, (41), USN, was piloting a Vought O2U Corsair over Newport Harbor with Lieutenant William Butler Jr., (31), aboard as an observer.
(Some press reports listed both men as Lieutenant Commanders, but such was not the case.)
Commander Alford was doing some stunt flying, going through a series of loops and rolls 5000 feet over Newport Harbor. After the plane made three successive loops, it suddenly went into a spinning dive and slammed nose first into the water. Commander Alford was killed instantly and went down with the aircraft, but Lieutenant Butler managed to free himself and floated to the surface.
Crewmen from several nearby naval vessels immediately launched boats and raced towards the scene. The first to arrive was a boat from the U.S.S. Antares with the ship’s doctor aboard.
Lieutenant Butler was plucked from the water and rushed to Newport Naval Hospital where he died shortly afterwards. His injuries were severe, but he reportedly maintained consciousness up until about five minutes before his death. At his bedside were his wife Adelle, and three officers from the U.S.S. Wright who would later make up the board of inquest. At one point he reportedly told the men, “They should not allow such planes to be used for stunting.”
Lieutenant
William Butler, Jr.
Meanwhile recovery efforts for the aircraft and the body of Commander Alford were taking place. The navy tug Bob-o-link successfully hauled the plane to the surface. Commander Alford was found still strapped in the cockpit, dead from the crushing force of the impact and not from drowning.
Commander Alford was born in Wills Point, Texas, October 26, 1888, and entered the United States Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland, in 1905, shortly before his 17th birthday.
During World War I he earned the Navy Cross while serving overseas as commanding officer of the destroyer U.S.S. Nicholson. After the war he served in Washington, D.C. with the Bureau of Engineering, later transferring to the Naval Communications Office.
He earned his wings as a navy pilot in August of 1927, less than one year before the accident.
Lieutenant Butler was born October 2, 1896 in Hazelton, Pennsylvania, and was 31-years-old at the time of his death. He graduated from the United States Naval Academy in 1920, and earned his pilots wings December 21, 1926.
The Corsair involved in the accident was assigned to Lieutenant Butler, who at the time was serving aboard the cruiser U.S.S. Concord. On the day of the crash, the Concord was away at sea, and both the plane and Lieutenant Butler had been detailed to Gould Island.
Sources:
Providence Journal “Navy Fliers Fall To Death In Bay”, July 3, 1928, Page 1
Evening Star, (Washington, D.C.), (Associated Press Article), “Two Navy Flyers Killed In Crash”, July 3, 1928, page 2.
www.findagrave.com, memorial ID 43687817, and 48998844.
Cheshire, Connecticut – January 18, 1946
At 9:55 a.m. on January 18, 1946, Eastern Airlines Flight 16-B left Miami, Florida, en-route to Charlestown, South Carolina, Washington, D.C., La Guardia Airport in New York City, and finally Boston. The plane was a twin-engine DC-3, a former C-47 used by the U.S. military that had been converted for civilian use. (Civilian registration # NC19970)
Shortly after leaving New York for Boston, a fire erupted in the left-wing engine. Witnesses reported seeing the airliner trailing flames and smoke shortly before the left wing collapsed causing the plane to drop from the sky. The fuselage “pancaked” into a brush choked area about 1.5 miles north of the Cheshire State Reformatory in the town of Cheshire, Connecticut. All 16 persons aboard were killed.
According to an article that appeared in The Cheshire Herald on January 11, 2011, the crash occurred near present-day Wolf Hill Road and Copper Valley Court
The dead were identified as:
(Pilot) Roy A. Kuser, of Trenton, New Jersey.
(Co-pilot) Robert S. Knight, Jackson Heights, New York.
(Flight Steward) Willard Bassett, of Jackson Heights, New York.
Navy Lieutenant Scott Faron, USNR, Pittsburg, Pennsylvania.
Mrs. Charlotte Sturman and her baby daughter Jean, 2, of Newton Center, Massachusetts. Mrs. Sturman was traveling with her 2-year-old daughter and Barbara Thompson, a nurse for the child. They had been vacationing in Miami, but cut the vacation short to fly back to Newton to be with Mrs. Sturman’s husband, Captain Hyman Sturman.
Barbara Thompson, of Standish, Maine.
Mr. and Mrs. Saul Miller, of Montreal, Canada.
David McVeigh, of New York City.
Norman E. Falt, of Chevy Chase, Maryland.
Professor John B. Mitsch, of Milton, Massachusetts. He was an associate professor of engineering at Massachusetts Institute of Technology. (Although some sources list his address as New York City, his home was in Milton, Mass.) He was survived by his wife and two children.
Mrs. Constance Ludwig, of New York City.
Paul Maynard, of Caldwell, New Jersey.
Gerard Voetlink, of Brooklyn, New York.
Henry Berger, of New York City.
Separate investigations were conducted into the incident. One by the federal Civil Aeronautics Bureau, others by Connecticut state aeronautics officials, state and local police, and the New Haven County Coroner’s Office.
Investigators blamed a faulty fuel line for the crash.
It was reported that this accident was the first in New England involving loss of life on a regularly scheduled commercial flight, according to the Massachusetts State Aeronautics Commission.
Sources:
Woonsocket Call, “Sixteen Perish In Connecticut Plane Disaster”, January 18, 1946, Pg. 1
Woonsocket Call, “3 Probes Started In Airline Crash”, January 19, 1946, Pg. 1
Woonsocket Call, “3 Bay State Victims”, January 19, 1946, Pg. 9
Providence Journal, “All Aboard Airliner Killed In Crash At Cheshire, Ct.”, January 19, 1946, Pg. 1
Aviation Safety Network
The Cheshire Herald, “Plane crashes Near Boulder Road”, by John Rook, January 11, 2011. (This article also talks about a small plane that crash-landed near Boulder Road in Cheshire. There were no injuries.)
The Nashua Telegraph, “Big Ship In Flames; Count Over 15 Bodies”, January 18, 1946
Taunton, Massachusetts – October 11, 1920
On October 11, 1920, a plane piloted by Lt. Frederick Smith took off from Fall River, Mass. headed for Taunton. While en-route, the engine suddenly stopped. The aircraft fell 1,000 feet before crashing into a tree in Taunton. Both Smith, and his passenger, Russell H. Leonard, a Fall River mill owner, escaped with minor injuries.
Sources:
Falmouth Enterprise, “Aviator Smith In Accident”, October 16, 1920
American Wool & Cotton Reporter, October 21, 1920 page(s) (65) 3721
A FUEL TANK FALLS ON PROVIDENCE
Providence, Rhode Island
August 26, 1948
Motorcycle Patrolman A.F. Baribault of the Providence Police Traffic Division was cruising along Chestnut Street near the city’s Jewelry District when he saw what appeared to be a bomb fall from an airplane.
Lawrence Tabor, a worker at Speidel Jewelry on Bassett Street also saw it drop, and could plainly see liquid spewing from the cigar shaped object as in tumbled earthward. It struck the ground only 100 feet away at the intersection of Bassett and Ship Streets. An explosive concussion shook the areas as flaming gasoline showering the street.
Emergency lines were quickly jammed with reports of an explosion. Some said a manhole had blown up, others claimed it was a bomb.
One of the first to arrive was Officer Baribault who quickly determined the object was not a bomb, but an auxiliary fuel tank used by military fighter planes since World War II. The aluminum tank had ruptured and split apart with one section lying in the roadway and another landing in a nearby lot.
Droppable fuel tanks for fighters had been developed during World War II to give the fighter aircraft greater range. The tank that dropped on Providence came from a U. S. Navy F6F Hellcat, a World War II aircraft carrier fighter produced by Grumman between 1942 and 1945.
Navy officials from the Quonset Naval Air Station responded to Providence and recovered the damaged fuel tank. Fortunately nobody had been injured and property damage had been minor. The Navy released a statement that the pilot had accidentally dropped the tank while on a routine flight and that a formal inquiry into the incident would begin right away.
A Navy spokesman told the Providence Journal; “This external or droppable tank is made to drop at the discretion of the pilot to get rid of the weight and friction.”
This particular tank had been loaded with 150 to 300 gallons of fuel when it was dropped.
Source: Providence Journal, “Gas Tank Drops From Navy Plane, Misses Cars At City Intersection”, August 27, 1948, pg. 1
Saugus, Massachusetts – October 21, 1915
On October 21, 1915, Capt. Charles P. Redding of Melrose, Mass., and his mechanic, Phillip Bowman, of Malden, Mass., left Marblehead, Mass. in a Burgess biplane bound for Saugus Aviation Field.
The duo landed successfully, and later in the day took off again for a flight over Lynn, Massachusetts. On their way back to Saugus Field, the plane crashed into a pool of water in the marshes of Saugus.
Charles Upham, a witness to the crash, made his way to the wrecked airplane and found both men still alive, however, they died within ten minutes.
Source:
(Vermont) The Bare Daily Times, October 22, 1915, Page 3.
Hyannis Airport – Cape Cod, Massachusetts
The airport opened n 1928. It was expanded and used by the military during World War II. Although located in the town of Hyannis, Massachusetts, today it is known as Barnstable Municipal Airport.
Vintage Post Card View Of Hyannis Airport
Hyannis, Massachusetts – Cape Cod
Postcard view showing a Northeast Airlines plane.
Hillsgrove R.I. Airport Dedication Postal Covers
Today Hillsgrove Airport is known as T.F. Green State Airport, located in Warwick, Rhode Island. Often referred to as “Providence Airport” by travel agents and airlines, but the airport is not in Providence. There is no commercial airport located in Providence.
Hillsgrove Airport Dedication
R.I. Airport – 1931
R.I. State Airport
T.F. Green Airport
60th Anniversary
1932-1992
Municipal Airport – Caribou, Maine
Vintage Post Card View Of The Municipal Airport.
Caribou, Maine
Caribou Airport was dedicated on August 20 – 21, 1930, and at the time it was the only municipal airport in Maine, and also the furthest north in the United States. Source: Presque Isle Star – Herald, “Airport Will Be Dedicated Next Week”, August 14, 1930, page 8.
On the night of March 29, 1944, a fire broke out in a wooden hangar at the Caribou Airport when an oil heater overturned. The building was filled with aircraft, and the flames spread rapidly from one to the next. At the time of the fire, a 26-year-old woman who worked for the U. S. Weather Bureau was on the roof taking a weather reading. She became trapped by the flames and perished.
Source: The Waterbury Democrat, (Conn.), “1 Dead In Big Hangar Fire”, March 30, 1944
Click on images to enlarge.
Hillsgrove Airport Dedication
Vintage Hillsgrove Airport Postcard.
Today known as T.F. Green State Airport – Warwick, R.I.
Old Airport Terminal at T.F. Green Airport, Warwick, R.I.
(Replaced by Current Terminal.)
1960s Post Card View Of T.F. Green Airport
Saugus, Massachusetts – June 6, 1918
On June 6, 1918, U.S. Army Lieutenant Torrey H. Webb was piloting a Curtis JN-4H “Jenny” airplane, (#39366) from New York to Franklin Field, (a.k.a. Atwood Field) in Saugus, Massachusetts. The purpose of the flight was to deliver sacks of mail containing 4,400 letters, weighing 228 pounds.
It was reported that this flight marked the first New York to Boston aerial mail service.
Lt. Webb made the historic trip in three hours and twenty-two minutes by following the New York, New Haven, and Hartford Railroad tracks. While en-route his compass developed a malfunction, so he landed briefly at Shailerville, Connecticut, a village within the town of Haddam, to make repairs. After adjusting the compass, Webb took off again for Saugus. Upon landing at Saugus, the wheels of his aircraft sank into soft ground causing the plane to abruptly nose over and toss Webb and his mechanic, Raymond Heck, from their seats. Neither was injured. The aircraft was sufficiently damaged to prevent an immediate return to the air.
The mail was taken to Boston by automobile.
A photograph of this accident can be seen at Digital Commonwealth. (Click on site below)
http://ark.digitalcommonwealth.org/ark:/50959/6682z638q
1918 Hamilton Watch Advertisement mentioning Torrey Webb as one of the aviators who wore a Hamilton watch.
Sources:
(Norwich CT.) Norwich Bulletin, “First New York – Boston Airplane Mail Service”, June 7, 1918
The Sun, (New York), “Plane With Boston Mail Damaged When It Lands”, June 7, 1918
Martha’s Vineyard Airport
Massachusetts
The airport was opened in 1942 as an auxiliary air field for the U.S. Navy to train pilots for overseas duty. After the war it was used for civilian aviation.
Click on images to enlarge.
Vintage Post Card View Of
Martha’s Vineyard Airport
Vintage Post Card View Of
Martha’s Vineyard Airport
Postcard view of a Northeast Airlines plane at Martha’s Vineyard.
Prinster-Hogg Park
Scituate, Rhode Island
A View of Prinster-Hogg Park, Scituate, R.I.
On February 21, 1982, Pilgrim Airlines Flight 458 took off from New York’s La Guardia Airport bound for Boston carrying several passengers and a crew of two; the pilot, Thomas N. Prinster, and co-pilot, Lyle W. Hogg. As the plane was passing over Rhode Island a fire erupted in the cockpit due to a malfunction with the alcohol-fed de-icing system. As flames burned their clothing away, and smoke choked their lungs, Prinster and Hogg remained at the controls and successfully brought the plane down for a crash landing on the frozen Scituate Reservoir. Though badly burned themselves, they assisted the passengers from the burning wreckage and led them to safety at the shore. One passenger was lost, but the outcome could have ben far worse.
Prinster-Hogg Park, Scituate R.I.
Large Engraved Rock
Today a memorial to the incident can be found in Prinster-Hogg park located at the intersections of Routes 102, 14, and Rockland Road, (Known locally as “Crazy Corners”.) in Scituate, Rhode Island.
For a more detailed account of the accident refer to the book, “Rhode Island Disasters – Tales of Tragedy By Air, Sea And Rail.” by Jim Ignasher, published through The History Press. (2010)
Prinster-Hogg Park, Scituate, Rhode Island.
Engraved Memorial
Brainard Field – Hartford, Connecticut
Today known as Hartford-Brainard Airport, located three miles from Downtown Hartford, Connecticut.
The airfield opened in 1921, and is said to the the first municipal airfield in the United States.
Charles Lindbergh landed the Spirit of St. Louis here after making his world famous transatlantic flight in 1927.
Early Post Card View Of Brainard Field,
Hartford, Connecticut
Linen Post Card Brainard Field, Connecticut
Atlantic Ocean – June 29, 1948
Near “No Man’s Land” Island, Martha’s Vineyard
U.S. Navy F6F Hellcat
U.S. Navy photo
On June 29, 1948, a Grumman Hellcat which had been converted into a remote control drone was launched from Otis Air Field in Falmouth, Massachusetts, for a test flight. Once airborne the aircraft was controlled by equipment aboard the U.S.S. Providence sailing in Buzzards Bay off Falmouth. After flying over portions of Massachusetts and Rhode Island it went out to sea where it failed to respond to further signals from the Providence. It crashed in the ocean near “No Man’s Land” Island, off the coast of Martha’s Vineyard. The total flight covered nearly 190 miles.
Parts of the wrecked aircraft were later recovered by fishing boat in the area and turned over to the Coast Guard. The aircraft had been painted red as part of the conversion.
Source: Falmouth Enterprise, “Radio-Controlled Target Plane Crashes Into Bay”, July 2, 1948
Grumman TBM-3E Auto-Pilot Turn And Bank Control
TBM-3E Auto Pilot Directional Gyro Control
U.S. Navy TBM Avengers
National Archives Photo
East Boston Airport – November 5, 1929
On November 5, 1929, a de Havilland Moth airplane with two men aboard was taking off from East Boston Airport bound for Bridgeport, Connecticut, when at a height of 150 feet it suddenly lost power and fell to the ground. It hit the runway and began cartwheeling and burst into flames before coming to rest. Volunteers quickly formed a bucket brigade using water from Boston Harbor to douse the flames prior to the arrival of firefighters.
Both men aboard were killed. They were identified as (Pilot) Clinton D. Johnston, reportedly about 28-years-old, an aircraft factory inspector for the Department of Commerce, and Henry Carter, 32, from Lebanon, New Hampshire.
Johnston was to have turned the aircraft over to Carter once they reached Bridgeport, where he would fly it to New York.
Source:
New York Times, “Two Die In Crash At Boston Airport”, November 6, 1929
Former Airport Terminal at T.F. Green Airport, Warwick, R.I. (Replaced by Current Terminal.)
Click on image to enlarge.
U.S. Navy PBY-2 Catalina Oil Quantity Gauge
U.S. Navy Catalina
National Archives Photo
Provincetown, Massachusetts – February 21, 1961
On February 21, 1961, Manuel Phillips was piloting a small private plane over the Provincetown area while his passenger, John D. Bell, was taking photographs, when the plane suddenly went down nose first into the water just off Long Point. Both men were rescued and neither was seriously hurt.
Bell had been a staff photographer for the Falmouth Enterprise from November, 1955, until the summer of 1957.
Source: Falmouth Enterprise, “Photographer Hurt In Airplane Crash”, February 24, 1961
Republic F-80 Shooting Star Fuel Gauge
F-80C Shooting Star
U.S. Air Force Photo
East Boston Airport – May 30, 1933
On May 30, 1933, J. Oliver Beebe, 38, was taking flying lessons at East Boston Airport. Three times that morning he flew with an instructor who supervised his landing techniques. After three perfect landings, the instructor allowed Beebe to solo. After two perfect landings, Beebe took off to circle the airport for another. As he was approaching for the third landing, he overshot the runway and drifted out over the mud flats at the north end of the field. He then banked the plane to turn around, and as he did so it suddenly fell from an altitude of 200 feet and dove nose first into the mud. It took considerable time for rescuers to extricate Beebe from the wreckage. He did not survive.
Mr. Beebe graduated from Harvard University in 1916, and served with a French medical unit during World War I before the United States entered the war. He then transferred to the U.S. 26th Infantry Division and was promoted to the rank of Lieutenant.
He was one of the first Americans to be awarded the French Croix de Gueere medal. Other awards included citations from two French infantry divisions.
He was survived by his wife Alice, and their two children, and is buried in Lakeside Cemetery in Wakefield, Massachusetts.
Sources:
New York Times, “J. O. Beebe Killed In Plane Crash”, May 31, 1933
www.findagrave.com
Vintage St. Johnsbury, Vermont, Airport
Click on images to enlarge.
St. Johnsbury Airport Dedication Postal Cover
1930s Post Card View Of
St. Johnsbury, Vt. Airport
Vintage Claremont, New Hampshire, Airport
Click on image to enlarge.
1930s Post Card View Of The
Claremont, New Hampshire, Airport.
Falmouth, Massachusetts – May 26, 1960
Coonamessett Airport
On the morning of May 26, 1960, Carl D. Jeschke, was practicing a landing approach at Coonamessett Airport in Falmouth, when the Aeronca Champ he was piloting suddenly lost power and crashed behind “the Knollwood” on Boxberry Hill Road. Although the plane was heavily damaged, Jeschke was unhurt.
Source: Falmouth Enterprise, “Pilot Unhurt As Light Plane Crashes”, May 27, 1960
U.S. Navy Grumman F9F-5 Panther Elevator Trim Gauge.
Concord, New Hampshire, Airport
Click on image to enlarge.
1930s Post Card View Of
Concord, New Hampshire, Airport.
Exhaust Temperature Gauge – Used In American Cold War Era Military Jets.
Vintage Air Mail Postage Stamps And Covers
Click on images to enlarge them.
From time to time this page will be updated.
Early Air Mail Advertisement
Issued In 1918
Pictured above is the famous “Jenny” stamp, named for the Curtis Jenny airplane depicted in the center. A run of “error” stamps was accidentally produced showing the airplane upside down, some of which made it into the public domain before the mistake was caught. An “Inverted Jenny”, as these error stamps have come to be known, are today worth thousands of dollars.
Issued In 1918
Issued In 1923
16 Cent Air Mail Stamp
Issued August 17, 1923
De Havilland DH-4 Biplane
Issued August 21, 1923
20 cent Air Mail Stamp
Issued January 25, 1927
Issued June of 1927
Issued in 1928
Issued In 1930
Issued In 1930
Issued In 1930
Special Delivery Air Mail
Issued August 30, 1934
China Clipper Over The Pacific
Issued February 15, 1937
Issued in 1938
1930s Costa Rica Air Mail Stamp
1930s Costa Rica 2 Cent Air Mail Stamp
1941 Air Mail First Day Cover
Issued In 1941
Issued In 1941
1946 Air Mail First Day Issue
Issued In Sept. of 1946
1947 Air Mail First Day Issue
Issued In 1947
1947 Air Mail First Day Issue
1949 Airmail Envelope
Wright Brothers Air Mail Stamp
Issued December 17, 1949
50th Anniversary Of Powered Flight
Air Mail
Issued May 29, 1953
Circa 1950s Employ Epileptics Air Mail Stamp
Issued July 31, 1958
Alaska Statehood Air Mail Stamp
Issued January 3, 1959
Liberty Bell Air Mail Stamp
Issued June 10, 1960
1962 Air Mail First Day Issue
50th Anniversary Of U.S. Air Mail Service
Issued May 15, 1968
20 Cent Air Mail Stamp
Issued November 22, 1968
Issued September 9, 1969
Issued July 13, 1971
Issued In 1980
Philip Mazzei Air Mail Stamp
Issued October 13, 1980
Airmail Centennial Stamp
2018
English Electric Canberra T-19
One of three fuel gauges used in the cockpit of the Canberra T-19. Prototype first flew in May of 1949. Set a world altitude record of 70, 310 ft. in 1957. Was used by other air forces besides Britain’s. The American version was produced as the B-57 bomber, flown by the United States Air Force from 1955 to 1964.
RB-57F. The U.S. Version of the English Electric Canberra. U.S. Air Force Photo.
English Electric Canberra T-19 Fuel Gauge – One of three used in the aircraft.
Boston Airport – May 8, 1932
On May 8, 1932, a small single-engine airplane with three men aboard was taking off from Boston Airport when at an altitude of about 200 feet the motor suddenly quit. The plane dove into a rough area near the edge of the field, with one wing and the nose striking first.
All three men received serious, but non life threatening injuries. They were identified as (Pilot) Thurle Ellis, of Cambridge, Massachusetts, Gus Rose, and John Day, both of Revere, Massachusetts. All were taken to East Boston Relief Hospital.
Sources:
New York Times, “3 Hurt In Boston Air Crash”, May 9, 1932
Moose Mountain, New Hampshire – October 25, 1968
At 5:42 p.m. on October 25, 1968, Northeast Airlines Flight 946 left Boston for Lebanon, and Montpelier, New Hampshire. The aircraft was a Fairchild Hiller FH – 227C, (Registration # N380NE) with thirty-nine passengers and a crew of three aboard; pilot, co-pilot, and a stewardess.
The flight was originally scheduled to depart at 4:55 p.m., but there had been a delay in getting the aircraft to the gate for passenger loading.
At 6:08 p.m., the flight was cleared for approach to Lebanon Airport.
At 6:11 p.m., the crew notified the Lebanon Flight Service Station that they were on a standard instrument approach, and requested a Lebanon weather report. They were advised of overcast conditions and calm winds. This was the last communication with the aircraft. Not long afterwards the plane crashed on the north side of Moose Mountain about 8.2 nautical miles northeast of Lebanon Airport. The impact occurred about 57 feet below the summit.
In the NTSB Aircraft Accident Report, (NSTB-AAR-70-7) one unidentified surviving passenger described the final moments leading up to the crash.
“…As we approached Lebanon, the cloud cover had been gradually thinning and before we began our descent, ground had been visible in patches between the clouds for several minutes. On the early part of the descent, the ground continued to be visible. After the turn to the final approach, with the wheels down, we were flying between two nearly vertical cloud banks in the gentle smooth descent which I described in my prior statement. There was no cloud directly below us, and the level of the base of the clouds at this point was slightly below the level of the aircraft so that the ground was clearly visible under the cloud to a substantial distance ahead and to the side. I was looking out and observed a pond and that the terrain had very few roads and no houses.
As we continued our descent, I continued to observe and watched the slope of the ground rising ahead of us at about twenty degrees in the direction of the flight. We were so near the ground at this time that I could clearly see the individual trees which appeared fist size and began to look ahead in the direction of the flight for airport approach lights as I assumed that we must be very near the touch down point. I observed the rising ground until I suddenly lost all visibility as we had entered a cloud.
After a few seconds in the cloud, I felt the initial impact which was gentle and seemed no more severe than a normal touch down. I do not remember any severe impact.”
According to the report, other survivors described the impact as “smooth”, “not a crash, but more of a settling”, and “a rough landing”.
Upon hitting the mountain, the plane plowed its way through trees and immediately caught fire after coming to rest. All ten of the survivors were seated in the rear of the aircraft, and managed to escape through the rear service door or by squeezing through openings in the fuselage. In all, seventeen people managed to escape the flames, but seven were fatally injured and succumbed to their injuries before help arrived. The injuries to the remaining survivors ranged from lacerations to broken bones.
Darkness, the remote location of the crash, combined with rain and freezing temperatures hindered rescue efforts. Those who could, made their way down the mountain on their own, while the rest were air lifted off by helicopter. The helicopters landed on the green at Dartmouth College, and from there the survivors were transported to Mary Hitchcock Hospital.
The crash site is located at longitude 72 degrees, 8’.7 west, and latitude 43 degrees 43’.3 north, at an elevation of approximately 2, 237 feet.
Sources:
NTSB Aircraft Accident Report, NTSB-AAR-70-7
New York Times, “32 of 42 On Plane Killed In New Hampshire Crash”, October 26, 1968
Curtis C-46 Commando Aft Wing Tanks Fuel Gauge
C-46D Commando
U. S. Air Force Photo
East Haddam, Connecticut – June 24, 1949
On June 24, 1949, an F-47N aircraft (Ser. No. 44-89432) belonging to the Connecticut Air National Guard crashed in the Hadlyme section of East Haddam while on a training flight. Witnesses reported the plane to be trailing dark smoke as it went down. The pilot, 2nd Lt. Robert S. Leighton, 25, of Portland, Maine, was killed.
Investigators were unable to determine a cause for the crash.
Lt. Leighton is buried in Saint Hyacinth Cemetery in Westbrook, Maine.
This accident was the third fatality involving a Connecticut Air Guard F-47 in two years, prompting Major General Frederick G. Reincke to ground all F-47’s belonging to the Connecticut National Guard until further notice.
Sources:
The New Era, (Deep River Ct.) “F-47’s Grounded Following Crash”, June 30, 1049, Pg. 4
Air Force Crash Investigation Report, #49-6-24-1
www.findagrave.com, Memorial #157286689
Falmouth, Massachusetts – July 15, 1951
On July 15, 1951, a two-passenger Luscombe trainer aircraft took off from Coonamessett Airport, (A small airport in Falmouth), for a sight seeing flight over the area. As the pilot, Harold A. Fasick Jr. was flying over the home of his passenger, Larry Sands, the engine suddenly quit, and the plane crashed near St. Anthony’s Church in East Falmouth. Neither of the two men were hurt.
Source: Falmouth Enterprise, “Pilot Is Fines After Crack-up In East Falmouth”, August 10, 1951.
Oxygen Station Gauges found on all
American WWII Bomber Aircraft.
Oxygen Station on an
American WWII Bomber
Boston Airport – August 27, 1929
On August 27, 1929, two small monoplanes were racing each other from Philadelphia to Boston on the first leg of the Philadelphia-Cleveland Air Derby. Both planes were the same model, manufactured by the same company.
The first was piloted by Edward J. (Red) Devereaux of Woodside, Long Island, N.Y. With him were his wife Herma, and his mechanic, E.J. Reiss, of New York. (Devereaux was a salesman for Curtiss Flyting Service.)
The second plane was piloted by Joseph L. McGrady of Hartford, Connecticut.
Just before noon both planes bore down on Boston Airport where a finish line had been painted on the tarmac. Devereaux was slightly ahead of McGrady, and zoomed over it first at an altitude of barely 50 feet, while traveling about 200 miles per hour. Just as he did so the ailerons on both wings were seen to be fluttering just before they broke off. The plane continued its forward momentum, sailing upwards and over the field before crashing in the mud flats near the edge of the airport. The impact propelled Edward Devereaux and his mechanic through the roof of the cabin killing them instantly. Mrs. Devereaux was found still alive, but trapped in the crumpled wreckage. She died later that night at East Boston Relief Hospital.
McGrady’s aircraft crossed the finish line seconds after Devereaux’s and experienced the same situation with fluttering ailerons, but fortunately he was able to land safely. When officials examined his plane they discovered three hinges on the left aileron had torn off, and the rear wing spar had broken. His plane was immediately grounded.
Officials speculated that the ailerons failed due to the strain placed on them by the high speed dive.
Source:
New York Times, “Three Killed In Boston Crash In Air Derby; Pilot’s Bride Among Victims As Plane Fails”, August 28, 1929
Westbrook, Connecticut – June 27, 1943
P-47 Thunderbolt – U.S. Air Force Photo
On Sunday, June 27, 1943, a U.S. Army, P-47B (41-5951), piloted by Robert McKeith 19, left Long Island, New York, and was passing over Long Island Sound when the plane caught fire. His aircraft, trailing brown smoke, was seen by aircraft spotting posts in Westbrook and Deep River Connecticut.
As McKeith passed over Westbrook, he aimed his aircraft towards Wrights Pond and away from any populated areas. At this point the smoke and heat became too much and he bailed out and landed safely. The P-47 came down in a wooded area near Wright’s Pond in the Pondmeadow district of Westbrook.
The cause of the fire was not stated.
McKeith was from Rochester, New York. His rank was not stated.
Source:
The New Era, “Pilot Escapes In Sunday Plane Crash”, July 2, 1943, Pg. 1
Flaps and Landing Gear Gauge for a B-26 Marauder Bomber. Possibly used in other aircraft.
B-26G Bomber
U.S. Air Force Photo
Groton, Connecticut – October 19, 1944
Updated January 13, 2019
U.S. Navy F6F Hellcat
U.S. Navy photo
On October 19, 1944, a navy Hellcat fighter plane crashed into the roof of a home belonging to Fillibert L. Bergeron, causing substantial damage to the structure. (The exact address was not stated in the press.) As the plane tore through the house, it snagged the blanket off a sleeping 2-year-old girl. After striking the home, the aircraft continued onward and came down in the nearby school yard of the Colonel Ledyard School on Chicago Avenue. State troopers found the blanket amidst the aircraft wreckage.
The pilot was identified as navy Lieutenant W. J. McCartney, of Toledo, Ohio, who survived the ordeal with non-life threatening injuries.
The sleeping girl was unharmed.
Update: Lieutenant McCartney later married a woman who lived in the home his aircraft crashed into. The story of their romance was published in a book titled “New London Goes To War” (c. 2011), written by Connecticut author Clark van der Lyke, who in 1944 was a child attending the school where Lieutenant McCartney’s Hellcat came to rest. Mr. van der Lyke has also published the story in Kindle format under the title “Cupid Was His Co-pilot”.
Source:
New York Times, “Plane Wrecks Room; Sleeping Baby Saved”, October 20, 1944. (Two photos with article.)
Mashpee, Massachusetts – July 7, 1942
On July 7, 1942, a Luscombe trainer aircraft took off from Falmouth Airport with an instructor and student aboard. While over the Popponesett Beach area of the nearby town of Mashpee, the aircraft’s controls became jammed and John Kerrigan, the instructor, and his student, Norman Nickerson, were forced to bail out. Both men landed safely. The airplane crashed in a wooded area between Popponesett Beach and the Waquoit section of Mashpee.
Kerrigan had been an instructor for over a year, and Nickerson had more than 100 hours of flight time. Nickerson was making the flight to qualify for his civilian pilot instructors license.
Source: Falmouth Enterprise, “Plane Crashes”, July 10, 1942.
North Kingstown, R.I. – May 18, 1957
Quonset Point NAS
Saturday, May 18, 1957, was Armed Services Day at Quonset Point, Rhode Island, and as part of the day’s observance, the Navy was hosting an air show which included flight exhibitions by some of the newest aircraft.
Shortly before 2:30 that afternoon, an FJ-3 Fury piloted by Navy Lieutenant Raymond C. Shaw Jr. took off for what was to be another routine demonstration flight. Once airborne, he circled over Narragansett Bay before coming in low over the runway and whizzing past the waving crowds. Once clear of the runway, he pulled upwards to the north where he suddenly went into a spin and dropped from sight. Almost immediately a distant boom was heard followed by a rising pall of black smoke a little more than a mile away.
The jet crashed at the Davisville Seabee Station just off Fletcher Road in North Kingstown. After ripping through a clump of trees it plowed through a fence and onto the property of Elmer Norden where it exploded. Debris was hurled in all directions for 400 yards, and nearby trees were impaled with flying shrapnel.
The Fury’s supercharger and other debris came down on the property of Ralph B. Armstrong who was working in his yard at the time, but he wasn’t injured.
Firefighters from Quonset NAS and North Kingstown raced to the scene and put of the flames. Ironically, the base fire department was scheduled to give a fire fighting demonstration later in the day.
Navy investigators concluded the crash was due to the leading edge of the horizontal stabilizer breaking loose during flight. It was found about a mile short of the crash site along the path the aircraft had traveled.
Lieutenant Shaw, 27, was from Charlotte, North Carolina. He graduated Central High School in Charlotte, and went on to attend Lees-McRae College in Banner Elk, and Catawba College in Salisbury, North Carolina. After graduating in 1952, he enlisted in the Navy and became a pilot. He worked hard and had recently been promoted to the rank of Lieutenant before the crash.
Besides his parents, he was survived by his wife Rita and a 3-year-old son, Raymond III. His funeral was held at Plaza Presbyterian Church in Charlotte.
To see a photo of Lt. Shaw, click here: https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/38687479/raymond-columbus-shaw
The FJ-3 Fury was produced by North American Aviation as a Navy version of the Air Force’s F-86E Sabre, to be a carrier-borne fighter jet. Production was halted in May of 1958 as newer and more technological advanced aircraft came into service.
Sources:
The Providence Journal, “Quonset Navy Pilot Killed As Jet Fighter Crashes, Explodes in Davisville”, May 19, 1957, Pg. A1
The Charlotte Observer, “Jet Explodes In Air, Killing Charlottean”, May 19, 1957, Pg. 1
The Charlotte Observer, “Shaw Funeral Here Thursday”,May 22, 1957, Page 5A
The Charlotte Observer, Funeral Notice, May 23, 1957, Pg. 11A
The Rhode Island Pendulum, Navy Seeking Aid In Determining Jet Crash Cause”, May 23, 1957, page 1
Boston, Massachusetts – July 23, 1925
On July 23, 1925, a small plane carrying two men crashed just after take-off from East Boston Airport. Witnesses said the aircraft suddenly went into a nose dive and came down on the railroad tracks belonging to the Boston, Revere Beach, & Lynn Railroad.
The pilot, Mark C. Hogue, 29, was killed instantly. The passenger, George Burroughs, 50, died on the way to the hospital.
Hogue was a former WWI veteran, having served as a Lieutenant in the Army Air Service. After the war he flew for the U.S. Mail as an airmail pilot, before becoming a commercial pilot. He was also an aerial photographer, and had photographed many estates of the rich and famous on Long Island, New York.
Updated June 12, 2017
Lt. Hogue had survived an earlier plane crash in Vernon, Connecticut on August 8, 1920.
Sources:
New York Times, “Two Die In Boston Plane”, July 24, 1925
The Daily Kennebec Journal, (Maine) “Air-pilot And Passenger Killed In Fall Near Boston”, July 24, 1925
Hartford Courant, “Mark Hogue Has Narrow Escape”, August 9, 1920
Lyme, Connecticut – June 21, 1943
P-47 Thunderbolt – U.S. Air Force Photo
On Wednesday, June 23, 1943, two P-47B fighter planes assigned to the 326th Fighter Group, 322nd Squadron, based at Westover Field in Massachusetts, were engaged in a training flight over Lyme, Connecticut, when they collided in mid-air in the vicinity of the Lyme School.
The pilot of one plane, (41-6035) Lt. Elmer Buss, was able to bail out safely, but the pilot of the other plane, (41-6052) Lt. William Carlton Ives, 21, was killed.
Lt. Ives is buried in Highland Park Cemetery in Elizabeth City, North Carolina. For a photo of his grave, see www.findagrave.com #86564235.
Source:
The New Era, (Deep River Ct.) “Pilot Dies In Crash Of Planes At Lyme”, June 25, 1943, pg. 1
Jack McGee – Early Daredevil Of The Rhode Island Skies
By Jim Ignasher
John Francis McGee
Photo credit: Elizabeth J. Johnson Pawtucket History Research Center, Pawtucket Library
It was the Wright Brothers who set the standard for what a mechanically powered aircraft should look like, and each subsequent builder copied their basic design. Early airplanes were flimsy compared to what came later, jokingly held together with bubble gum and bailing wire; home built products manufactured in barns, (or bicycle shops) and not in hi-tech factories. Some actually flew; many did not; and those that could, didn’t always stay in the air. Accidents were common, but that didn’t deter young men like Pawtucket’s Jack McGee from climbing into one of those “newfangled flying contraptions” and taking to the sky.
John Francis McGee was born in Central Falls, Rhode Island, on June 18, 1885. One could say he was born at just the right time in history to make his mark as an aviator, for he witnessed the dawn of mechanical flight; a time when there were no manuals, no regulations, and safety was a matter of perspective. It was an era when daring young men made up the rules as they went along while at the same time teaching themselves how to fly.
When he was four, Jack’s father moved the family to Maine, but they returned to settle in Pawtucket in 1900. In his youth, Jack worked in a machine shop which gave him valuable experience with engines that would come in handy later on while working on his airplanes.
Jack’s interest in mechanics led to an interest in automobiles, which led to his learning how to drive one. This acquired skill eventually landed him a chauffeur’s job with J. C. McCoy of Barrington. Mr. McCoy was an aviator in his own right, and in the spring of 1911 he had Jack drive him to an air show in Massachusetts. It was there that McGee decided he wanted to fly.
After borrowing money from a friend, McGee enrolled in the Atwood Aviation School in Cliftondale, (Saugus) Massachusetts. He was a quick study, and flew at the controls, with an instructor aboard, after only three flights.
There were no pilot licensing standards or requirements in those days for there were no state or federal regulatory agencies that required one. It was up to the student, with input from his instructor, to determine for himself when he had enough experience to fly alone. Most students took the matter under serious consideration, for aircraft technology was still in the developmental stages, and one mistake in the air could mean a messy end on the ground. McGee continued taking lessons when he could afford them, finally making his first solo flight on August 18, 1912.
Jack McGee in his “Kite”
Photo credit: Elizabeth J. Johnson Pawtucket History Research Center, Pawtucket Library
It was also in 1912 that McGee purchased his first airplane, a Burgess-Wright bi-plane, for the princely sum of $3,050, which he affectionately called “The Kite”. The name resembled the aircraft’s construction; wood, wires, and canvas, powered by a small smoke belching, oil-spitting, engine. The aircraft was primitive by today’s standards, and its seemingly flimsy construction left many wondering how Jack was able to perform such daring feats with it and still live. Yet as rickety as it was, those who could afford it, quickly lined up to pay for a short ride.
McGee briefly teamed up with another promising young aviator by the name of Farnum T. Fish who had participated in air shows in the western United States. It was while flying with Fish on the afternoon of July 9, 1912, over Revere Beach, Massachusetts, that McGee experienced what was to be the first of thirteen plane crashes that he would survive during his career. On that day, while Fish was passing low over the water, a wing dipped sending the craft into the surf.
Jack asked his friend, Pawtucket businessman Joseph Boyle, to be his manager, and Boyle did such an excellent job of promotion that crowds estimated to be as large as fifty-thousand people would come to watch McGee perform his stunts. Yet despite the large crowds, the money was slow to roll in. There were operational expenses and loans to pay off, and McGee often went without food so he could feed his passion for flying.
In August of 1912, Boyle got McGee a $1,000 contract to fly from Saugus, Massachusetts, to Newport, Rhode Island, to perform stunts for the Newport Beach Association. The flight and exhibition were scheduled for August 25th.
However, things began to go awry when McGee left Saugus and ran into strong winds which blew his tiny airplane out over Boston Harbor and towards the sea. Its engine was no match against Mother Nature, and had the wind not shifted he could have been a goner. He managed to set down on a race track in Boston and contacted Boyle in Newport with the news that he wasn’t going to make it that day. The news was disappointing to say the least, for not only were thousands awaiting McGee in Newport, thousands more were waiting in Pawtucket because Boyle had promised Jack would stop in that city on his way to Newport. Boyle was left with only one option; postpone the events by one day and drive to Boston to help Jack prepare for another flight.
Jack took off from Boston the following morning, but when he arrived over Pawtucket he found the city shrouded in fog. One of the few visual landmarks available to him was the smokestack of the Hand Brewery, next to which he knew was a relatively flat section of land where he could set down. In the meantime, Boyle returned to Newport and explained that Jack’s arrival would be delayed yet another day.
McGee’s Wrecked Airplane
Photo credit: Elizabeth J. Johnson Pawtucket History Research Center, Pawtucket Library
The following morning a large crowed gathered to see McGee off, but more bad luck stymied his trip when he crashed into a tree on takeoff because someone had left a baby carriage in his path. McGee escaped without injury, but the right wing was damaged further preventing his departure to Newport.
McGee didn’t have the funds to repair his airplane, and without it, he couldn’t full-fill his contract. When news of his predicament spread, the good citizens of Pawtucket came to his rescue by taking up a collection. With the wing repaired, McGee was once again on his way to Newport.
In Newport, Jack was invited to attend an exclusive party held by Mrs. Belmont on Easton’s Beach. Jack graciously accepted and presented Mrs. Belmont with a yellow banner that read, “Votes For Women”. (At that time, Mrs. Belmont was a leader in the fight for women’s voting rights.) The publicity from Jack’s frustrating trip to Newport, and subsequent high society party invitation gained him national publicity.
After Newport, he embarked on an exhibition tour around Rhode Island giving shows at places like Crescent Park, Rocky Point, Pawtucket, and Woonsocket. His “headquarters” was located in a special hangar at the Pawtucket Driving Park off Newport Avenue. It was here that he survived yet another crash which put his plane out of commission for several days.
In all, McGee survived thirteen crashes during his career and was once quoted as saying, “It is a general belief among aviators that, if they remain in the flying game long enough, they will eventually be killed. I know that I will be killed some day if I fly too long.” But crashing wasn’t his only worry. On September 3, 1912, he and his airplane were shot at by an irate hunter while passing over some woods in Danbury, Connecticut. The bullet barely missed him as it embedded itself in the plane’s control panel.
Early Post Card View Of Fort Adams
The day before that incident, McGee had gone to Newport to prove a point to the military men stationed at Fort Adams and the naval torpedo station on Goat Island that they were vulnerable to aerial attack by airplanes. McGee was a visionary who foresaw a time when aircraft would have practical military applications, an idea that was slow to be accepted by the armed forces, who saw the airplane as nothing more than a toy for the wealthy and the foolish. This notion by the military was not completely without merit, for World War I was still two years away, and the unreliability of pre-war aircraft, coupled with the high mortality rate of pilots, led many to feel that airplanes were nothing more than a passing fad.
Early Post Card View Of The U.S. Navy Torpedo Station, Newport, R.I.
On the morning of September 2, 1912, McGee took off with bags of flour to drop as “bombs” over his intended targets. McGee knew what he was doing for he had taken part in bomb dropping contests at air meets in Massachusetts, reportedly winning prizes for his accuracy. As he came in high over Fort Adams he let a few bags fall. When they struck the parade ground and parapets they burst apart in simulated blasts. Attached to each bag was a note: “What if this were 16 percent nitroglycerine?” He did the same at the naval torpedo station, and fortunately no irate soldiers took pot-shots at him. Naturally military commanders weren’t pleased with the stunt, but McGee had proven his point.
McGee was flying in an age when aviation records for speed, distance, altitude, and endurance, were constantly being set and broken. The ultimate achievement for any aviator of that era would be to fly across the Atlantic, something that had never been done before. Doing so was easier said than done, for aviation technology hadn’t yet reached the point where making such a trip had any real chance of success. Despite any limitations with his aircraft, in May of 1913, McGee announced his plans to try. It wasn’t just a place in the history books that he was after, it was the $50,000 purse offered by the British Aero Club to the first aviator(s) who could do it. Fifty-thousand dollars in 1913 was a fortune, and certainly would have secured McGee’s financial situation for life.
Pawtucket, Rhode Island – As Jack McGee Saw It.
McGee’s plan called for naval vessels to be spaced a few hundred miles apart all across the Atlantic from Newfoundland to England to act as refueling stations for his pontoon equipped airplane. It seemed simple enough in theory, and he set his departure date for July 4, 1913.
Of course executing such a plan would require money, and lots of it, as well as an incredible amount of logistical planning and cooperation by the U.S. Navy and any other foreign vessels involved. It is perhaps for this reason that investors were reluctant to put money towards the project forcing McGee to cancel his plans.
On July 28, 1913, McGee and a companion survived another accident, this time splashing down in the middle of Narragansett Bay. The plane sank beneath the waves and soon afterwards a reward was posted to anyone who recovered it.
More than a few rose to the challenge, for besides the reward, there was the publicity, but in the days before underwater sonar, locating it would be purely a matter of luck. The aircraft was finally located and recovered by accident on August 10th by a boat dragging for oysters.
McGee’s fame was a lure for souvenir hunters who eagerly sought artifacts from his wrecked airplanes. Several artifacts ranging from propellers to wing struts connected with McGee’s planes are known to have survived to this day and are in the hands of private collectors.
Though he himself flew, McGee tried to discourage those he cared about from following in his footsteps. One such person was his good friend Leo Leeburn, to whom McGee had given basic flight training. Mr. Leeburn later went on to join the Army as a flight instructor during World War I, and served as an airbase commander in World War II, eventually reaching the rank of Lieutenant Colonel.
Another friend was Henry Connors, who went on to command the Rhode Island National Guard. One day he and McGee raced from Rumford to Crescent Park, Connors in his automobile, and Jack in his airplane – Jack won.
Rocky Point Park, Warwick, R.I. – A once popular destination. McGee and other early aviators flew their planes here.
In 1914, Jack purchased a seaplane capable of traveling 70 mph. In May of that year, he was paired with a man who was to parachute from his airplane at an exhibition at Rocky Point. The plan was for the man to ride on one of the plane’s pontoons until they reached an altitude of about 3,500 feet. Unfortunately, the man weighed too much and McGee was unable to take off. After several unsuccessful attempts, 17-year-old John Downey of Providence approached McGee and offered to perform the stunt. At first McGee declined, but the youth insisted, so a contract was hastily drawn up which the boy took to his father to sign. For never having any formal instruction in leaping with a parachute, Downey reportedly performed admirably, and even returned for an encore performance the following day.
It was also in 1914 that World War I broke out in Europe, and Jack was courted by the French Government to join their military aviation corps to instruct their pilots, but he declined their offer.
One news snippet which appeared in a magazine known as Aerial Age, on March 22, 1915, stated that McGee had been selected by B. Stephens & Sons of Providence, R. I., “to exclusively fly its hydro-areoplane, the first machine of the kind ever made by a Rhode Island concern which has the added distinction of being driven by the first 12-cylinder air-cooled marine engine ever made in America.” The company was located at Fields Point.
In the summer of 1917 McGee accepted a position as a test pilot for Gallaudet Aircraft Corporation of Warwick, Rhode Island. By now, America had entered the war and the Navy had given Gallaudet a contract to build seaplanes for the war effort.
Jack McGee’s Grave – Mount St. Mary’s Cemetery,
Pawtucket, R.I.
The job of a test pilot is a dangerous one. Those who designed the planes had a theoretical knowledge of what the craft’s capabilities might be, but it was the test pilot’s job to make sure they were right, and to see if it was capable of doing more.
On June 11, 1918, while testing one of Gallaudet’s planes on Greenwich Bay, the aircraft suddenly nosed over in the water. Those who witnessed the event reported an explosion just after the impact, but officials later denied that an explosion had occurred. In any event, McGee was trapped in the overturned wreckage and drowned. He was 33.
Jack was survived by his wife of less than six months, Miss H. Louise Morris of Pawtucket.
Jack’s prediction that he would eventually die in an airplane accident proved prophetic, but some might say it was inevitable. During his seven year career he performed hundreds of aerial feats that had killed lesser pilots, and had cheated death in at least thirteen crashes. Over the years, and there have been several attempts to have a permanent memorial erected to his honor, including the naming of a state airport, but unfortunately all efforts have been unsuccessful.
Update: Today a bronze plaque to McGee’s achievements is located at the entrance to Slater Park in Pawtucket.
Brainard Field
Hartford, Connecticut – September 3, 1940
On September 3, 1940, an American Airlines DC-3 (NC19974) left Boston at 6:10 a.m. bound for New York City with an intermediate stop at Brainard Field in Hartford. As the flight neared Hartford, it encountered fog conditions, and after circling the field twice, the pilot elected to land the plane. As he was making his final approach, the pilot chose to set down on the grassy area parallel to the runway because by doing so he could use the administration building as a guide in lining up for a straight landing as the area where the building was located was clear of ground fog which was obscuring the rest of the field.
The available landing area that would have been afforded the incoming plane was 3,880 feet, however, the plane didn’t actually touch down until it had passed over 2, 450 feet, leaving only 1,430 feet to stop. When the pilot applied the brakes he was unable to stop due to the wet grass, but he managed to steer the aircraft past the airport boundary onto soft bumpy ground where it abruptly stopped, nosed over, then fell back hard on its tail, resulting in extensive damage to the plane, and minor injury to one passenger.
The plane carried fourteen passengers and a crew of three, a pilot, co-pilot, and stewardess.
Source:
Civil Aeronautics Board accident investigation report, #2893-40
Marlborough, Massachusetts – September 20, 1948
On September 20, 1948, the Democratic candidate for Governor of Massachusetts, Paul A. Dever, and Democratic candidate for treasurer, John E. Hurley, were on an airplane headed from Boston to Great Barrington when they encountered severe thunderstorms and made an emergency landing at Marlboro Airport. Upon landing, the pilot overshot the runway and crashed into a fence heavily damaging the airplane. Dever and Hurley were unhurt.
Dever won the election, and served as Governor from January 6, 1949, to January 8, 1953.
Sources:
New York Times, “Dever Safe In Air Crash”, September 21, 1948.
Wikipedia
Springfield, Massachusetts – August 16, 1932
Russell Boardman
On August 16, 1932, famous aviator, Russell N. Boardman, 34, took off from Springfield Airport for a test flight of his new Gee-Bee, R-1, Junior Sportster, racing airplane, which he intended to fly in the Thompson Trophy Race in Cleveland, Ohio, later in the month. According to witnesses, Boardman’s plane developed engine trouble and went into a low roll before spinning into the ground from an altitude of 800 feet. The plane came down in a thickly wooded area but didn’t burn.
The plane was demolished and Boardman was seriously injured. At first there was some question as to whether of not he’d live, but he rallied and recuperated over the next several months.
Unfortunately, Boardman was killed in another plane crash almost a year later on July 3, 1933. In that incident, he was taking part in a trans-continental air-race and had stopped to refuel in Indianapolis. After refueling, he crashed on take off when a gust of wind caught the wing of his plane.
Early in his flying career, Mr. Boardman had survived one other airplane crash in Cottonwood, Arizona.
Mr. Boardman was famous for a 5,011.8 mile non-stop trans-Atlantic flight he’d made with John Polando from the United States to Istanbul, Turkey, in July of 1931. For their accomplishment, both were awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross per special order of U.S. President Herbert Hoover. (The D.F.C. is usually only awarded to military personnel.)
For more information about their historic flight, see the book, Wings Over Istanbul – The Life & Flights Of A Pioneer Aviator, by Johnnie Polando.
Mr. Boardman was born in Westfield, Connecticut, in 1898. He was survived by his wife and 5-year-old daughter, as well as one brother and three sisters. He’s buried in Miner Cemetery in Middletown, Connecticut. (For a photo of his grave see memorial # 71156334 at www.findagrave.com)
For more biographical information about Russell Boardman, see www.earlyaviators.com/eboardm1.htm
Sources:
New York Times, “Boardman Crashes, Condition Serious”, August 17, 1932
Chicago Daily Tribune, “Flyer Boardman Crashes In Test Of Speed Plane”, August 17, 1932
Boston Herald, “Russell Boardman Dies In Indianapolis, Crashed Saturday In East-West race”, July 4, 1933.
www.findagrave.com
www.earlyaviators.com
History-Salt Boxes On Bass River website. Article: “A baroness Came, And So Did A Countess, In The Heyday Of Yarmouth’s Salt Boxes”, by Bainbridge Crist, 1978. https://sites.google.com/site/saltboxespublic/history
Hartford, Connecticut – February 3, 1930
Brainard Filed
Issued In 1930
On February 3, 1930, air mail pilot Lieutenant Carey T. Pridham, 29, took off from Newark Airport in a Pitcairn biplane bound for Brainard Filed in Hartford, Connecticut. As he was attempting to land at Brainard, the plane struck an observation platform located on the roof of the field house, tearing off the left wing, and sending the aircraft into the Connecticut River about 100 feet off shore. The plane landed upside down pinning the pilot inside. By the time someone could reach the site by boat Lt. Pridham was dead.
Lt. Pridham was born in Virginia, and lived in Lexington, Massachusetts, with his wife and three children. He’d been flying for over eight years and had 2,500 hours of flight time. He’d been flying the mail since July of 1929.
The aircraft belonged to Colonial Air Transport.
To see a photo of Lt. Pridman click here: https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/161164136/carey-thompson-pridham
Source:
New York Times, “Mail Flier Killed In Hartford Crash”, February 4, 1930
Wachusett Mountain – November 28, 1963
Princeton, Massachusetts
On the evening of November 28, 1963, four University of St. Louis students were killed when their Cessna 182 crashed into the side of fog shrouded Wachusett Mountain. The plane took off from Worcester Airport en-route to Boston at 6:01 p.m. and the crash occurred about twenty minutes later.
The dead were identified as:
John Apez, 18, of Orland Park, Ill.
Alfred Pitt, 19, of Staten Island, N.Y.
Henry Katz, 18, of Worcester, MA.
Glenn Bridgman, 18, of Blackstone, VA.
Source: The Lewiston Daily Sun, “Four Die In Mass Airplane Crash” November 29, 1963.
Greenwich, Connecticut – November 8, 1957
DC-3 Airliner
Shortly before 7:30 p.m. on November 8, 1957, a DC-3 aircraft owned by the Radio Corporation of America (RCA) was approaching Westchester County Airport in heavy rain in anticipation of landing. Visibility was poor, and cross winds buffeted the aircraft.
Westchester County Airport is located in White Plains, New York, almost directly on the New York- Connecticut state line. Just as the aircraft was about to land, a gust of wind pushed it off course, sending it over Hangar D and crashing onto King Street (AKA Route 120A) in the town of Greenwich.
The aircraft was a total loss, but fortunately all four persons aboard suffered only minor injuries. (Pilot, co-pilot, and two passengers, both of which were top executives for RCA.)
Source:
New York Times, “Wind-Buffeted DC-3 Falls In Greenwich”, November 9, 1957
Martha’s Vineyard – January 6, 1945
U.S. Navy TBM Avengers
National Archives Photo
Just after midnight on the morning of January 6, 1945, navy Lieutenant Robert L. deVeer was making a night training flight from Martha’s Vineyard to Otis Air Field in Falmouth, Massachusetts, when his plane, a TBM Avenger, went down in a wooded area near the Mayhew Memorial Chapel in North Tisbury, on Martha’s Vineyard. Although seriously injured, deVeer was able to extricate himself from the burning wreckage. He was transported to Chelsea Naval Hospital for treatment.
Source: Falmouth Enterprise, “Injured Flyer Has Home Here”, January 12, 1945
Seekonk, Massachusetts – November 14, 1993
On November 14, 1993, a small plane left Pontiac, Michigan, with two men inside, bound for T.F. Green Airport in Warwick, R.I. At 12:26 a.m., the aircraft crashed and burned in a wooded area of Seekonk, about one mile from Read Street.
The dead were identified by Massachusetts State Police as Lea A. Sherman, 47, of Warwick, R.I., and Joseph Langlois, 42, of Coventry, R.I.
Source: Woonsocket Call, “2 R.I. Men Killed As Plane Headed For Green Crashes”, November 15, 1993, Pg.3
East Boston Airport – November 13, 1938
Vintage Post Card View Of East Boston Airport
On November 13, 1938, students from the Phi Beta Epsilon fraternity of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology chartered three passenger planes for its “1938 version of the Boston Tea Party”. The planes left East Boston Airport and flew in formation around the city of Boston while those aboard sipped tea. All went well until the planes returned to the airport. As one aircraft was making its way across the tarmac after landing, its landing gear suddenly collapsed. Everyone aboard received a good jolt, but there were no reported injuries. Damage to the plane was estimated to be $10, 000.
Source:
New York Times, “Boston Tea Party In Air Ends As Big Plane Is Upset”, November 14, 1938
Danbury, Connecticut – October 4, 1947
At 2:25 p.m. on the afternoon of October 4, 1947, two planes, each with a pilot and student aboard, collided in mid-air over edge of the Danbury Fair grounds. The crash occurred at an altitude of only 800 feet, in full view of thousands of people.
The collision tore a wing off each aircraft. One plane crashed in a field next to Route 6, while the other came down on the farm of J. Arthur Keeler, just missing his house. Keeler put the flames of the burning wreckage out with a garden hose before fire fighters arrived.
The plane that crashed on the Keeler farm was a Cessna 140. Both the pilot, Walter James O’Neill, and his student, Mrs. Edith Dowswell, of Hartsdale, New York, were killed. Mrs. Dowswell reportedly jumped from the plane just before impact.
The other aircraft was an Aeronca, piloted by Howard C. Dunn, 33, of North Stamford, Connecticut. Both he and his student, Mrs. Edith R. Heydt, 38, of Darien, Connecticut, were killed.
According to one elderly witness, the planes were doing stunts just before the crash, however investigators didn’t feel this was accurate. An employee of the nearby Danbury Airport was driving past in his car at the time, and it was his opinion the planes were attempting to land at the airport.
Source:
New York Times, “4 killed As Planes Collide Near Danbury Fair Crowd”, October 4, 1947
Douglas, Massachusetts – August 31, 1990
At 2:30 p.m., a single-engine Piper Cub left Danielson Airport in Connecticut for a sight seeing trip over Connecticut and Massachusetts. The flight went well until the plane developed engine trouble shortly after 4 p.m. while over Douglas, Mass. The pilot attempted to make an emergency landing in a field, but clipped some tree tops and crashed near the Whitins Reservoir in an area known as Cottage Colony.
The plane suffered extensive damage, but the occupants, John Bouchard and Donald Hoeing were not injured.
Source: Woonsocket Call, “2 Men Labeled ‘Lucky’ For Walking Away From Douglas Plane Crash”, September 1, 1990, Pg. 1
Farmington, Connecticut – April 11, 1945
P-47D Thunderbolt – U.S. Air Force Photo
On April 11, 1945, two P-47 fighter aircraft took off from Bradley Field in Windsor Locks, Connecticut, for an instrument training flight. One of the aircraft, a P-47D, (Ser. No. 42-22360), was piloted by 2nd Lt. Vincent Hugh Core, 20, of Brooklyn, New York. While passing over the town of Framington, Lt. Core’s aircraft was observed to plunge straight down into a wooded swampy area and explode leaving a crater reported to be 12 to 15 feet deep, and 30 feet wide. One source identifies the location as being on a farm belonging to John Lipski, and another as belonging to Leo Grouten.
In 1987, 41 years after the crash, David Tabol, a Farmington Boy Scout, erected a granite monument near the crash site as a memorial to Lt. Core. (The site is now part of the Unionville State Forrest.) Further back in the woods is a crude piles of rocks, which some believe was left by the military clean-up crew to serve as a marker for the site.
Sources:
The Bristol Press, “Pilot Killed, Plane Blown To Pieces In Crash In Farmington”, April 11, 1945, pg. 1
The Bristol Press, ” Army Investigating Crash Of Plane In Farmington; Brooklyn Flier Is Killed”, April 12, 1945
The Bristol Press,”WWII Tragedy, Air Force Pilot Crashes, Dies In Unionville Forest In 1945″, by Ken Lipshez, October, 1995.
Connecticut Department Of Health Death Certificate
Narragansett Bay – June 4, 1971
The canopy to Commander Harley Hall’s F-4J Phantom jet that he was forced to bail out of over Narragansett Bay on June, 4, 1971, on display at the Quonset Air Museum.
Photo by Jim Ignasher
On June 4, 1971, an F-4J Phantom jet (#153082) belonging to the U.S. Navy Blue Angels team, caught fire in flight over Quonset Point Naval Air Station in North Kingstown, Rhode Island. The pilot, Commander Harley H. Hall aimed the plane towards Narraganset Bay before bailing out.
Hall was commanding officer of the Blue Angels for two years. He was promoted to the rank of Commander at the age of 32, which at the time made him the youngest Commander in the navy.
By 1973, Hall was serving aboard the U.S.S. Enterprise (CVN-65) flying combat missions over Vietnam. On January 27, 1973, Commander Hall and Lt. Cmdr. Phillip A. Kientzler took off from the Enterprise in an F-4J Phantom to attack Vietnamese supplies and logistics vehicles 15 miles northwest of Quang Tri. During the attack the Phantom was hit by anti-aircraft fire and Hall and Kientzler were forced to bail out at 4,000 feet. On the way down, Kientzler was shot in the leg and quickly captured. Hall landed safely, and was last observed by another F-4 pilot circling overhead entering the jungle to evade enemy forces. He was never seen again.
In Vancouver, Washington, there is a building named in Commander Hall’s memory. The H. H. Hall Building located at 10000 NE 7th Avenue. (www.hhhallbuiding.com)
There is also a book about Harley Hall and the Blue Angles titled “Left Alive To Die”, by Susan Keen, c. 2011
Sources:
Nashua Telegraph, “Pilot Killed In Accident At Air Show”, June 7, 1971, Pg. 3. The headline of this article is actually about an accident at the Quonset Air Show that took the life of J. W. “Bill” Fornof on June 5, 1971. The accident involving the Blue Angel aircraft was mentioned in it because it happened the day before.
The Columbian, “Cmdr. Harley Hall, Shot Down 40 Years Ago”, January 27, 2013
www.pownetwork.org/bios/
Pittsfield, Maine – December 15, 1943
At 3:55 p.m. student pilot Rowland Kenneth Quinn, 18, took off from Pittsfield Airport in a Piper J5A (NC 35953) for a practice flight. At 4: 45 p.m. while he was about four miles form the airport, the engine began running roughly and loosing r.p.m. Quinn put the plane into a glide and throttled back to 1100 r.p.m. At an altitude of 600 feet the engine stopped completely and Quinn aimed for an open field.
The aircraft struck hard and the landing gear was torn away. The plane came to rest on its nose.
It was noted that the temperature was 10 degrees below zero at the time of the crash, which likely contributed to the engine failure.
Source: Civil Aeronautics Board Investigation Report No. 5234-43, Adopted May 22, 1944.
Off Nahant, Massachusetts – December 29, 1932
On December 29, 1932, two Harvard University freshmen, Edward Mallinckrodt III and Donald McKay Frost Jr., left East Boston Airport in a Stearman biplane and headed out over Boston Harbor towards Nahant.
Mr. Mallinckrodt was reportedly piloting the plane, and had only recently obtained his private pilot’s license. Witnesses later stated that the aircraft went into a spin-dive and plunged into the water off Nahant. Both men disappeared along with the aircraft, but were later recovered.
Sources:
New York Times, “Two Harvard Fliers Die In Plane Crash”, December 30, 1932
Urbana Daily Courier, “Find Plane That Carried Boys To Death In Sea”, December 30, 1932
Willington, Connecticut – September 3, 1927
Missing Airmail Pilot
At 7:15 p.m. on the evening of September 2, 1927, a U.S. Airmail plane belonging to Colonial Air Transport Inc. left Boston bound for Brainard Field in Hartford. The pilot was identified as Daniel G. Cline, 33, reported to be “one of the most experienced in the service of Colonial.” There was also an unidentified passenger aboard.
The trip was to take one hour, but while in-route Cline encountered misty rain and foggy weather, and was forced to make a landing in a field in Duxbury, Massachusetts. There he waited for the weather to clear.
At 10: 15 p.m. he took off again, but left his passenger behind. However foul weather forced him to make another emergency landing, this time in Webster, Massachusetts. There he waited until after midnight to resume his journey. After Cline’s departure, officials at Brainard Filed were informed that his aircraft was once again airborne, and should be arriving within a half-hour. But Cline never arrived, and when no word of another forced landing was received, so a search was instituted.
The missing plane was discovered in a thickly wooded area along a rocky hill on the farm of John Hitsky, located in an area known as Moose Meadows in the town of Willington, Connecticut. Cline’s body was found inside.
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/65744223/daniel-g-cline
Cline was the first mail pilot flying the newly established Boston – Hartford – New York airmail route to die in the line of duty. Two others would follow. https://newenglandaviationhistory.com/mt-lamentation-berlin-ct-september-17-1929/
Sources:
Woonsocket Call, “Air Express Plane 16 Hours Overdue, Believed To Be Lost”, September 3, 1927, pg. 1
New York Times, “Air Express Pilot Dead After Crash”, September 4, 1927
Evening Star, (Wash. D.C.), “Mail Pilot Dies As Plane Crashes”, September 4, 1927, pg. 4
Webster, Massachusetts – June 17, 1952
On June 17, 1952, Joseph S. Knapik was flying his two-seater aircraft from Troy, New York, to Whitinsville Airport when the engine stalled while he was 1,100 feet over Webster. He attempted to glide the plane down, but it hit a cable strung across Webster Lake between the mainland and Killdeer Island, and dove into the water. Knipik was rescued by a couple in a nearby rowboat, and the plane was later towed to shore by a motorboat.
Webster Lake is also known by another name, Lake Chaubunagungamaug, which has also been spelled different ways.
Source:
Woonsocket Call, “Plane Dives Into Webster Lake, But Uxbridge Flier Is Unhurt”, June 18, 1952, Pg. 2
East Hampton, Connecticut – August 1, 1968
On the morning of August 1, 1968, the tower at Hartford’s Bradley International Airport received a “very weak and garbled radio distress signal” from a small aircraft piloted by Richard A. Smith, 39. A search was instituted, and the aircraft was located in a thickly wooded section of East Hampton. The pilot’s body was still inside.
Source:
Woonsocket Call, “Welles In-Law Killed In Plane”, August 2, 1968, pg. 1
Quonset Point, R.I. – June 5, 1971
F8F Bearcat
U. S. Navy Photo
On June 5, 1971, the annual Quonset Air Show, a.k.a. Rhode Island Air Show, was being held at Quonset Point Naval Air Station in North Kingstown, Rhode Island. The second to last portion of the show that day included an aerobatic exposition of two former U.S. Navy F8F Bearcat aircraft flown by a father and son team. Ten minutes into the exhibition, the wing of one aircraft, (N7700C) piloted by J. W. “Bill” Fornof, suddenly broke away. The aircraft crashed in a wooded area on Quidnesset Road, about 1.5 miles from the base. Mr. Fornof, 46, of Houma, Louisiana, was killed.
His son, J. W. “Corkey” Fornof, flying the other Bearcat was not injured.
Investigators blamed the wing failure on metal fatigue.
Mr. Fornof earned his wings as a navy pilot at the age of 19 in 1945, and served in both WWII and Korea.
For more information about J. W. “Bill” Fornof, and a photo of his aircraft, see “Bill Fornof Memorial – Chapter 513 Houma, LA”, at www.513.eaachapter.org/billfornofmemorial.htm
Sources:
The Standard Times, (R. I.), “At Navy’s ‘Successful’ Carnival: A Memory Of Tragedy”, June 10, 1971
Nashua Telegraph, “Pilot Killed In Accident At Air Show”, June 7, 1971, Pg. 3
(Lafourche Parish, Louisiana) Daily Comet, ” Courier Reports On Death Of Local Aviator”, By Bill Ellzey, June 8, 2011.
U.S. Navy & U.S. Marine Corps BuNos, www.joebaugher.com
Fort Devens – April 21, 1942
At about 7:45 p.m. on April 21, 1942, a U.S. Army O-52 (40-4702) was returning from a training flight when it suddenly crashed near a small pond at Fort Devens killing both occupants.
The dead were identified as 1st Lt. Gerald Patrick Kennedy, 26, of Providence, R.I., and 2nd Lt. Robert Wright Hoeker, 24, of Illiopolia, Ill. Later in the evening Kennedy was scheduled to attend a party in his honor due to his recent promotion to first lieutenant. As a point of fact, Lt. Hoeker wasn’t scheduled to be on that flight, but he had taken the place of another officer.
The aircraft was part of the 152nd Observation Squadron, and it was reported that these were the first airplane related fatalities in the history of the 152nd. The 152nd had been stationed at Hillsgrove Airport in Warwick, R.I. prior to being transferred in the summer of 1941 to Fort Devens.
Today there is a hanger named for Lt. Kennedy at T.F. Green Airport in Warwick, R.I. (Formerly Hillsgrove)
Source:
Woonsocket Call, “Army Probing Devens Plane Crash In Which 2 Met Death”, April 22, 1942, Pg. 1
Westerly, Rhode Island – October 24, 1943
U.S. Navy Grumman Avenger
National Archives Photo
On October 24, 1943, a Grumman TBF-1 Avenger (Bu. No. 06096) piloted by Ensign Ralph E. Sethness, 28, was approaching Westerly Auxiliary Air Field (Today known as Westerly State Airport) when the plane developed engine trouble and crashed on the golf course of the Winnapaug Country Club. (The club was, and still is, located at 180 Shore Road in Westerly.)
The plane came down near the 7th hole and burst into flames. Two local men, Robert C. Gentile, and Benjamin B. York, were the first to arrive at the scene where they found the badly injured pilot lying right next to the burning wreck with live ammunition from the plane’s machine guns starting to go off. With disregard for their own safety, they carried Ensign Sethness fifty feet away and lay him down. No sooner had they done so, the plane’s fuel tanks exploded spraying flaming gasoline all about the area. The flames quickly set off a succession of machine gun rounds, and Gentile shielded the injured man with his body. This lasted for about two minutes until the heat of the flames forced them to move Ensign Sethness another fifty feet away. There they tended to him as best they could until fire and rescue units arrived.
Both men were later awarded the Carnegie Medal of Heroism for their efforts.
The Grumman Avenger generally carried a crew of three men however, on this particular flight Ensign Sethness was alone. The reason for the flight was not stated, nor was the cause of the accident. Ensign Sethness was assigned to torpedo squadron VT-15.
Sources:
The Westerly Sun, “Saw Plane Crash, Shore Road Men Rush To Scene”, October 25, 1943
U.S. Navy accident report #44-9275
Carnegie Hero Fund Commission
Nantucket, Massachusetts – July 5, 1964
On July 5, 1964, two honeymooning couples were returning to Nantucket after a day trip to Martha’s Vineyard when their single-engine plane suddenly crashed on a former golf course on Nantucket. Police Chief Wendell Howe speculated that the aircraft ran out of gas due to a lack of gasoline fumes at the wreck site.
The dead were identified as Charles and Mary C. (Corbett) Cavanaugh of Boston, and Everett and Beverly (Patron) Jones of Warwick, R.I. Both couples had only been married for three days.
Source:
New York Times, “2 honeymoon Couples Killed In Plane Crash On Nantucket”, July 5, 1964
Somers, Connecticut – April 6, 1942
Updated March 6, 2016
P-38 Lightning
U.S. Air Force photo
On April 6, 1942, a U.S. Army P-38 Lightning, (AF-112) piloted by 2nd Lt. Raymond Allen Keeney, 24, crashed in a potato field in the Somersville section of the town of Somers, Connecticut, and burst into flames. The wing of the plane clipped a tree just before the crash.
Lt. Keeney was born and raised in Somers, Connecticut, and was familiar with the area which he was flying over. He attended local schools, and after graduation from the Texas Institute of Technology he enlisted in the Air Corps on March 17, 1941, in Lubbock, Texas. It was while attending Texas Institute that he met his wife Christine, whom he married October 31, 1941, which was also the day he received his pilot’s wings. At the time of his death he was assigned to the 62nd Pursuit Squadron.
Lt. Keeney died on his 24th birthday. He’s buried in the family mausoleum in West Cemetery in Somers, CT.
Sources:
Pawtucket Times, “U.S. Pilot Killed In Plane Crash”, April 6, 1942,Pg. 7
Findagrave.com #137939503
U.S. Air Corps Technical Report Of Aircraft Accident #42-12-30-1
Unknown newspaper attached to Air Corps investigation report, “Flyer Meets Death Near Somers Home”, unknown date.
Unknown newspaper attached to Air Corps investigation report, “Lt. Keeney Killed In Somersville”, unknown date.
Hartford Times, “Funeral Wednesday For Lieut. Keeney Air Crash Victim”, April 7, 1942.
Mystery WWII Aircraft – Martha’s Vineyard – 1958
Updated July 13, 2017
U.S. Navy F6F Hellcat
U.S. Navy photo
On July 8, 1958, a fishing boat out of New Bedford, Mass. was dragging its nets off the western coast of Martha’s Vineyard when the nets snagged the wreckage of a WWII era navy aircraft. The boat dragged the wreck to shallow waters about a quarter mile off an area locally known as Menemsha Bight, then placed a marker buoy on it, before proceeding to port at the Vineyard.
There the captain of the boat encountered three divers at the dock, and asked one of them to check the condition of his boat propeller because he felt the snarled nets may have damaged it. Afterwards, the divers, Percy Kingsley, of Cranston, R. I., James Cahill, of Danvers, Mass., and Bradford W. Luther Jr., of Fairhaven, Mass., went to explore the wreck.
The wreck was in about 15 feet of water, and heavily encrusted with marine life, which obscured any identification numbers, but the paint colors established it as a navy plane. In the cockpit they found human bones, some of which they collected, along with an oxygen mask, a flying boot, and what may have been a life raft, and turned them over to the Coast Guard.
A navy salvage vessel out of Quonset Point, Rhode Island, was dispatched to the scene to attempt to raise the wreck. Divers from the salvage boat identified the wreck as a Grumman Hellcat of World War II vintage. However, it was not specifically stated in the newspaper articles whether or not the plane was actually recovered. If the marine life could be removed, the identification numbers from the tail would identify the aircraft, and who had been flying it.
However, recovery of the wreck may have been possible, and it may have been photographed instead, because it was reported that photographs of the plane’s instrument panel had been forwarded to Washington for further identification.
The bones recovered from the cockpit were sent to Quonset Point Naval Air Station where it was reported that the senior medical officer, Captain M. H. Goodwin, planned to seek instructions from the Navy Bureau of Medicine. (This was in a time long before DNA testing was available.)
The Quonset public information officer told reporters that there had been only one inquiry about the remains found, and it came firm a man whom the navy did not identify, but said a member of his family had been lost during the war on a flight from his air craft carrier to Quonset Point.
As of this writing, the name of the pilot is unknown.
Sources:
Providence Journal, “Remains Of Unknown Plane, Pilot Found”, July 9, 1958, Pg. 14
Providence Journal, “Identification Of Pilot Sought”, July 12, 1958, Pg. 2
Vineyard Gazette, “Final Chapter In One Or More Plane Crashes Near”, July 14, 1958
Lincoln, Massachusetts – December 26, 1953
On December 26, 1953, two aircraft, a Cessna 140, and a Stinson, were flying over Lincoln when they collided in mid-air. Both aircraft made successful crash-landings in a field, but the Stinson caught fire afterwards causing burns to the pilot, Ambrose A. Peterson, of Lexington, Mass.
The two people aboard the Cessna, Joseph Yamron, 25, of Ventnor, N.J., and Sonya Garfinkle, 25, of Philadelphia, received non-life-threatening injuries.
Source: New York Times, “3 Survive Mid-Air Crash”, December 27, 1953
Lewiston, Maine – September 5, 1906
On September 5, 1906, two aeronauts, Carl Smith, of Brocton, Massachusetts, and Ida Merrill, of Boston, were scheduled to give a balloon exhibition/parachute jump at the Maine State Fair, during which the balloon would rise and each would drop with a parachute.
As the balloon began to ascend above a crowd of 2,000 spectators, both made preparations to jump. They climbed out of the gondola and onto two trapezes suspended beneath. Each trapeze was connected to a parachute. Just after Smith sat on his trapeze and released his parachute line, one of the ropes to his trapeze broke, and he fell about 125 to the ground landing amidst the crowd. Nobody on the ground was injured.
Smith broke several bones in the fall and was transported to a hospital in what was reported as an “insensible condition”, and was not expected to live.
Police later examined the ropes to his trapeze and determined they’d been partially cut prior to the performance, and announced they were looking for two men they suspected of the deed.
Merrill landed safely, but came down in a wooded area not far away.
Despite his severe injuries, Smith recovered from his ordeal. One year later he was back at the fair grounds to give another performance.
Sources:
The Nashua Telegraph, “Serious Accident On Fair Grounds In Maine”, September 6, 1906
New York Times, “Balloonist Falls 125 Feet; Trapeze Rope Breaks And he Crashes To Ground”, September 5, 1906
The Utica Herald-Dispatch & Daily Gazette, “Aeronaut Falls; Say Rope Was Cut”, September 6, 1906, Pg. 1
Lewiston Evening Journal, “Balloon Ascension – One Of Best Ever Seen On Grounds – Carl Smith The Aeronaut”, September 3, 1907
Dartmouth, Massachusetts – August 4, 1935
On August 4, 1935, two men were making repeated take-offs and landings at Round Hill Airport in Dartmouth when on a downward turn the plane suddenly crashed. The men were identified as Kenneth W. Root, 29, of Fall River, Mass., and Albert Winward, 48, also of Fall River. Both men received non-life-threatening injuries.
Round Hill Airport was a private airport located on the estate of Edward Howland Robinson Green, and was in operation from 1927 to 1936.
Sources:
New York Times, “Wreck In Massachusetts”, August 5, 1935
Wikipedia – Round Hill Airport
Boston Airport – June 28, 1942
Updated March 7, 2016
P-40 Warhawk
U.S. Air Force Photo
On June 28, 1942, 2nd Lt. Albert J. Wiebe was on a formation training flight over the Boston area when his aircraft, a P-40E, (Ser. No. 40-539) developed engine trouble. He left the formation to return to Boston Airport. As he was making his approach to land when his plane lost power and crashed. Lt. Wiebe did not survive.
Lt. Wiebe was from West New York, New Jersey. He enlisted in September of 1941, and received his commission on April 23, 1942. He was survived by his wife.
At the time of his death he was assigned to the 64th Fighter Squadron.
Sources:
New York Times, “4 Army Fliers Die In Ohio”, June 29, 1942 (The article covered more than one accident.)
U.S. Army Air Corps Technical Report Of Aircraft Accident, dated July 12, 1942
The Disappearance of
Lieutenant (Jg.) Arthur J. Cassidy Jr. – March 30, 1943
U.S.S. Ranger (CV-4)
U.S. Navy Photo
On March 30, 1943, a late winter storm blew into New England from across New York. It was nothing significant in relation to its duration, or the amount of snowfall, but it was underestimated, and left behind a mystery that to this day has never been solved.
On that day the USS Ranger (CV-4) was steaming off the coast of Massachusetts heading towards the Boston Navy Yard for some refitting. As a precaution, the ship’s aircraft were to be sent inland. Below decks the pilots joked in the ready room as the planes were fueled for takeoff. Their final destination was to be Quonset Point Naval Air Station in Rhode Island, but first they were to stop at Squantum Naval Air Station in Quincy, Massachusetts, and obtain an updated weather forecast. If it was favorable, they were to proceed to Quonset. If not, they were to wait at Squantum.
Unfortunately, this information was not relayed properly to the pilots, and as a result, all aircraft headed directly for Quonset and flew head-on into the storm. There were thirty aircraft in total; twenty-five F4F Wildcat fighters, four SBD Dauntless dive bombers, and one TBF Avenger torpedo bomber.
Lt. Jg. Arthur J. Cassidy (left) aboard the USS Ranger with “Red Ripper’s” insignia on jacket.
National Archived Photo
As bad weather closed in visibility dropped to zero. The cloud cover began at 200 feet and extended all the way up to 7000 with icing conditions. It wasn’t long before the aircraft got separated, and in some cases lost. Radio communications became garbled with intermittent static, leaving each pilot to his own devices.
The first aircraft to run into trouble was an SBD Dauntless, (Bu. No. 06826) piloted by Lt. Lukes M. Boykin. His aircraft developed carburetor icing and was forced down in the water off Swampscott, Massachusetts. Fortunately he and his radioman H. H. Reed were rescued by the Coast Guard.
Meanwhile, Wildcat #12196 piloted by Lt. Theodore A. Grell went down over Fall River, Massachusetts, most likely due to ice buildup. Fortunately, Grell was able to bail out safely from an altitude of barely 200 feet!
Red Rippers squadron insignia
Other members of the Ranger’s aircraft contingent were also in trouble. Three Wildcat aircraft, #12143, #12186, and # 12179), got lost and wound up low on fuel over the small town of New Paltz in upstate New York. After circling for several minutes they made an emergency landing in an open field.
Despite the accidents, by the end of the day all of the Ranger’s airmen had been accounted for except for Lieutenant (Jg.) Arthur Cassidy. A check of all New England airfields revealed that he had not landed at any of them, nor had any municipalities reported any downed aircraft that the military wasn’t aware of.
The last possible sighting of Cassidy and his aircraft came from a woman in Attleboro, Massachusetts, who reported that she had seen a navy plane in distress over the North Attleboro area about 4:00 p.m. the day of the storm. It should be noted that there was no proof that the plane the woman saw was actually Cassidy’s aircraft, but with nothing else to go on, the navy took it as such, and began an intensive search.
U.S. Navy Wildcat like the one Lt. Jg. Cassidy vanished in March 30, 1943.
U.S. Navy Photo
Media outlets were notified, and others came forward claiming to have seen a plane in trouble, but despite their eagerness to help, none of the witnesses were able to provide any useful information.
A massive air and ground search was conducted involving hundreds of military men, police, fire, and civilian volunteers. The search was widened to include several nearby towns in the Attleboro region as well as northern Rhode Island, but no trace of the plane or Lt. Cassidy was ever found. Some thought the Wildcat might have gone down in a large pond or reservoir, but according to one news account, the Navy discounted this idea with no explanation as to why.
On April 2, while the search for Cassidy was continuing, the Ranger left Boston for Argentina. World War II went on. Servicemen were transferred. The military prepared for the invasion of Europe, and new headlines replaced the old. The storm of March 30th and its aftermath were soon forgotten, and the mystery of what happened to Lt. Cassidy faded from memory.
So, what happened to Lt. Cassidy and his Wildcat? There are several possibilities.
One is that the plane went down in a remote area and disintegrated on impact. Most New England towns were fairly rural in 1943. Any explosion could have been muffled by the weather, and snow cover would have limited the spread of fire.
Did Lt. Jg. Cassidy crash in western Massachusetts or some other remote area of New England?
If Cassidy got disoriented like the three pilots who wound up in upstate New York, he might have flown to western Massachusetts where he could have gone down in the remote Berkshire Hills, or New York, or points north, such as Vermont and New Hampshire.
Another theory is that Cassidy unknowingly overshot Rhode Island due to the zero-visibility, and flew out over the ocean, not realizing his mistake until it was too late.
And despite what the navy said, it’s also possible he crashed in a large body of water such as a lake or a reservoir. Maps of the search area, including northern Rhode Island, show several bodies of deep water large enough to swallow a Wildcat. Since few reservoirs allow swimming or boating, it’s unlikely that a plane at the bottom would be discovered.
And perhaps the wreckage of Cassidy’s Wildcat has been found, only those who found it, didn’t know what it was, for WWII aviation wreck sites can be hard to distinguish to the untrained eye. Is there a hunter of hiker somewhere who has seen twisted portions of metal lying in the woods and never thought about it because it has always been there? Maybe some fisherman knows of an aircraft related shape lying at the bottom of a body of water. Reporting such a find could lead to the answer of what happened to Lt. Cassidy.
The serial number of Lt. Cassidy’s Wildcat is 11740, and his military service ID number is 0-098451. This information is provided should anything be found.
Navy Report on
Lt. Jg. Cassidy’s disappearance.
#43-6393
CLICK TO ENLARGE
Cassidy report continuation.
CLICK TO ENLARGE
Arthur J. Cassidy Jr. was born in New York City, July 5, 1919, to Arthur and Marion (Meehan) Cassidy.
He graduated from Fordham University, Rose Hill Campus, Bronx, N.Y. in 1940, and entered the United States Naval reserve as a pilot cadet.
He served with Fighting Squadron 41 (VF-41) aboard the USS Ranger, and took part in Operation Torch, flying air support in the invasion of North Africa.
Cassidy had survived two previous plane accidents. On May 8, 1942, he made a forced landing on Cape Cod, Massachusetts. The second accident occurred May 21, 1942, while landing aboard the USS Charger, an escort carrier anchored in Chesapeake Bay.
On February 26, 1943, he applied for a marriage license at the Cranston, (R. I.) City Hall, and was married to Marie Magdelaine Marchesseault on March 1st. Their address was 99 Muran Street, Cranston.
On March 31, 1944, Lt. Cassidy was officially declared dead by the navy. (Book 13, Pg. 213)
Sources:
U.S. Navy Report of Cassidy disappearance 43-6393
Attleboro Sun, “Plane Reported Missing In North Attleboro”, April 1, 1943, Pg. 1
Attleboro Sun, “Blimp In Search For Lost Plane”, April, 1943, Pg. 1
Attleboro Sun, “No Word Of Missing Plane”, April 3, 1943, Pg. 1
Providence Journal, “Plane Reported Missing By Navy”, April 1, 1943, Pg. 27
Pawtucket Times, “Navy Plane Sought In North Attleboro”, April 1, 1943, Pg. 1
Fall River Herald News, “Navy Plane Feared Lost”, April 1, 1943, Pg.1
Cranston Herald, “Cranston Flier Reported Missing”, April 8, 1943, Pg. 6
Woonsocket Call, “Navy Plane Lost In Bay State Area”, April 1, 1943
City of Cranston, Rhode Island, vital records
www.wwiimemorial.com
Brookfield Airport – March 25, 1961
Brookfield, Massachusetts
On March 25, 1961, a single-engine Bonanza with four people aboard was attempting to land at Brookfield Airport when a wing suddenly broke free sending the plane crashing to the ground. All aboard were killed.
The dead were identified as:
Albert L. Ball Sr., 67, of Framingham, Mass.
Albert Ball Jr., 34,, of Torrington, Conn.
Sebastian L. Gianni, 40, of Torrington, Conn.
Donald H. McMahon, 34, of Winsted, Conn.
Source: New York Times, “Plane Crash Kills 4”, March 26, 1961
Off Nantucket, Massachusetts – July 26, 1936
On July 26, 1936, a ten-passenger, high-wing, Bellanca Airbus, flew out over the Atlantic Ocean to intercept the R.M.S. Queen Mary which was inbound to New York. The plane carried nine men aboard, most of them press photographers looking to get aerial pictures of the ship.
The plane intercepted the ship five miles east of the Nantucket Light Ship anchored off the coast of Nantucket Island. As the aircraft circled the low around liner’s stern it abruptly crashed into the sea.
The merchant freighter S. S. Exermont was following not far behind the Queen Mary and stopped to effect rescue operations.
All nine passengers and crew of the Airbus were taken aboard the Exermont. One passenger, Edwin T. Ramsdell, 46, a photographer for the Boston Post, was severely injured when brought aboard, and died shortly afterwards. The others were treated for shock and lesser injuries.
A U.S. Coast Guard plane arrived and offered to take the survivors to land via the aircraft, but all opted to stay aboard the Exermont.
The cause of the accident was determined to be the powerful downdraft created at the stern of the ship as the ocean liner sped across the water.
In memory to the loss of Mr. Ramsdell, the Edwin T. Ramsdell Memorial Trophy was established, and is awarded every year to press photographers.
Sources:
New York Times, “Plane With 9 Men Plunges Into Sea Near Queen Mary”, July 27, 1936
Madera Tribune, “Liner Blamed In Plane Crash”, July 27, 1936
The Miami News, “Plane Crash Laid To Ship Downdraft”, July 27 1936
North Walpole, New Hampshire – January 17, 1937
On January 17, 1937, a small plane with two men aboard made an emergency landing in a field in North Walpole, New Hampshire. The pilot was identified as Walter B. Switzer, 35, of Hasbrouck Heights, New Jersey, and his passenger was identified as Dr. Gustave Frank, of Springfield, Massachusetts.
The day before, the pair had flown to Lyme, New Hampshire, where Mr. Switzer reportedly wanted to see a commercial landing field site. On their way back they encountered foul weather and made the emergency landing.
At this point Mr. Frank got out of the plane and watched Mr. Switzer attempt to take off again, but the plane abruptly crashed into a clump of trees. Mr. Switzer was pulled from the wreckage and taken to a hospital where he succumbed to his injuries.
Source: New York Times, “New Hampshire Crash Kills Jersey Airman”, January 18, 1937
Braintree, Massachusetts – April 4, 1939
Updated January 14, 2023
On April 4, 1939, a flight of six U.S. Navy biplanes were cruising at 2,000 feet over the Fore River Shipyard in Quincy, Massachusetts, as part of the launching ceremony for the Navy’s new aircraft carrier, the U.S.S. Wasp, (CV-7). (The Wasp was launched April 4, 1939, and commissioned April 25, 1940. )
The type of aircraft were Vought SBU-2 Corsairs, with serial numbers 0816, and 0817.
While passing overhead, the aircraft began to execute a maneuver where each in turn would roll over and dive downward. As they were doing so, the second and third planes in the formation collided in mid-air, and both crashed as a result.
The incident was witnessed by West Williams, a flight instructor who was flying another airplane nearby at the time. West told reporters, “The second plane was just torn to pieces and plunged downward and crashed into a house, setting the house afire. There were just pieces of fabric left floating down. The pilot of the (other) plane may have been stunned for a moment and then tried to regain control. The ship staggered and partially righted itself and then shot down in a power dive. It seemed to hit a house about half a mile away from the first, and went up in flames.”
Both planes came down in the neighboring town of Braintree. The first slammed into the home at 26 Edgemond Road, which was occupied by 74-year-old William Madden. Madden escaped the burning house with only minor injuries, but died of a heart attack later in the day.
The second plane hit the roof of 30-32 Shepherd Avenue. J. C. Kirkbride of the Cities Service Company’s refinery saw the second plane glance off the roof of the house where it then “bounced the length of two city blocks, and plowed into the living room of another house.”
John Tower, a World War I veteran, suffered sudden death as he tried to assist at the site of the second crash.
Another employee of the refinery told reporters he saw the body of one aviator lying on the ground with his parachute partially opened.
Each plane carried a pilot and an observer. The dead were identified as:
Lieutenant Commander Waldo H. Brown, 43, of Milton, Mass. (Naval Reserve) (There is a memorial to Brown at Wychmere Beach in in the town of Harwich, Massachusetts.) https://threeharbors.com/waldobrown.html
Aviation Cadet Ellsworth Benson, 26, of Newton, Mass. (Naval Reserve) Buried in Arlington, National Cemetery, Section 6, Site 9183. https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/43679281/ellsworth-benson
Aviation Chief Carpenters Mate Walter Kirk, 40, of Quincy, Mass. (Naval Reserve) https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/189381723/walter-kirk
Aviation Chief Machinists Mate John Ausiello, 35, of Revere, Mass. https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/189359245/john-ausiello
Sources:
Woonsocket Call, “Navy Biplanes Fall On Houses At Braintree”, April 4, 1939, Pg. 1
The Evening Star, (Wash. D. C. ) “Four Die As Planes Collide And Crash, Firing Two Houses”, April 4, 1939, pg 1.
The Palm Beach Post, “Fatal Air Crash Mars Launching”, April 5, 1939
(Book) NAS Squantum: The First Naval Air Reserve Base by Marc J. Frattasio, C. 2009
Cape Cod Chronicle, “Waldo Brown: The Man Behind The Wychmere Jetty Memorial” November 6, 2003
www.findagrave.com
New York Times, “Wing-Crash Kills Four Navy Fliers”, April 5, 1939
New Milford, Connecticut – September 11, 1987
At about 9:00 a.m. on September 11, 1987, a Piper Cherokee crashed in the Gaylordsville section of the town of New Milford. The plane had been en-route from Hyannis, Massachusetts, to Dutchess Co. Airport in upstate New York when the accident occurred.
The body of an unidentified man was found in the wreck.
Source: New York Times, “A Series Of Crashes Of Private Aircraft Kills At Least Three”, September 13, 1987 (The article covered other crashes besides this one.)
Brooklyn, Connecticut – August 4, 1986
TBM-3E Avenger
U.S. Navy Photo
On August 4, 1986, a former U.S. Navy TBM-3E Avenger (With civilian registration N6581D) took off from Danielson Airport in Danielson, Connecticut, en-route to Florida for its annual inspection. Shortly after takeoff the engine began to sputter and skip, and then the aircraft began trailing black smoke. On witness told state police that the plane was low over the tree tops, and when the engine quit, the plane rolled over and crashed upside-down and exploded.
The plane crashed in a wooded-swampy area off Route 6,, between Church St. and Day St., and firefighters had to clear a path to the site. It then took four hours to put out the flames because they were fed by the magnesium metal used in the plane’s construction.
The lone pilot, Charles A. Sewell, 56, of Setauket, Long Island, N.Y. was killed. Sewell was a highly decorated former U.S. Marine Corps pilot having served in both Korea and Vietnam with 330 combat missions to his credit, and more than 10,000 hours flying time.
During his 20-year military career he earned the Legion of Merit, two Distinguished Flying Corsses, fifteen Air Medals, and two Purple Hearts. He retired a lieutenant colonel 1969, went to work for Grumman Aircraft on Long Island. Within two years became their chief test pilot, and was still employed as such at the time of his accident.
Investigators who examined the wreckage determined that the #8 and #10 piston heads each had a hole burned through them, and others showed signs of head damage. The last inspection on the plane had been conducted September 7, 1983, and the aircraft had been issued a special permit for this flight.
Sources:
New York Times, “Grumman’s Chief Test Pilot Dies In Crash Of World War II Bomber”, August 5, 1986.
NTSB brief #NYC86FA196, microfiche #33675
Providence Journal Bulletin, “A Top Test Pilot Dies As WWII Bomber Slices Into Woods After Takeoff In Danielson, Conn.”, August 5, 1986, page A9.
Providence Journal, “Top Test Pilot Crashes WWII Craft Near Foster”, August 5, 1986, page 1, (2 photos of crash.)
Westerly Sun, “Vintage Plane’s Crash Kills Grumman Pilot”, August 5, 1986, page 17.
Norwich Bulletin, “Brooklyn Plane Crash Kills Pilot”, August 5, 1986, page 1. (2 photos of crash.)
Beverly, Massachusetts – July 16, 1936
On July 16, 1936, well known orchestra leader Orville Knapp, 28, went to East Boston Airport where he’d been storing his airplane since recently flying it to Boston for an engagement. At 4:30 p.m. Knapp took off for Beverly Airport in Beverly, Massachusetts, to practice making emergency landings with his motor shut off. He landed at Beverly about a half-hour later, and spoke with those in charge at the airport regarding his intentions, and was granted permission.
A few minutes later he took off for his first practice run and circled the airfield. As he was banking the aircraft to come in for a landing at the north end of the field, he shut the motor off while less than 300 feet in the air. The aircraft dove in and crashed, but didn’t burn.
Several witnesses ran to the wreck and worked to remove Mr. Knapp who expired just after they freed him.
Orville Knapp was survived by his wife, Gloria (Grafton) Knapp, a Broadway actress.
Source:
New York Times, “Orville Knapp Dies In Airplane Crash”, July 17, 1936.
East Granby, Connecticut – September 12, 1987
On the morning of September 12, 1987, a Piper Cherokee crashed in a heavily wooded area of East Granby near the Suffield town line, about a half-mile from the nearest road. The plane burned on impact and the bodies of an unidentified man and woman were recovered.
Witnesses told police that they saw the plane doing stunts before the accident.
Source: New York Times, “A Series Of Crashes Of Private Aircraft Kills At Least Three”, September 13, 1987. (The article covered other crashes besides this one.)
North Haven, Connecticut – July 7, 1941
Updated January 17, 2022
On July 7, 1941, a Stinson monoplane with three people aboard took off from New Haven Municipal Airport. Weather conditions were poor, with heavy fog and a very low cloud ceiling. Minutes later, witnesses stated the craft swooped low roughly 50 feet off the ground and flew between two trees at the edge of a field, before accelerating and clipping a wing on another tree 250 feet away. After striking the tree, the ship nosed into the ground and burst into flames.
The 35-year-old pilot and one of the passengers were thrown clear by the impact but received fatal injuries. The other passenger was pulled from the flaming wreckage by several men who were working nearby, but she did not survive.
It was surmised that the pilot was attempting to land in the field when he aborted the attempt due to rough terrain.
Sources:
Nashua Telegraph, “Three Killed, North Haven Plane Crash”, July 7, 1941, page 1
New York Times, “Air Commuter Killed With Two In Crash”, July 8, 1941
The Waterbury Evening Democrat, “Manufacturer OF New Haven, Pilot Of Burned Craft”, July 7, 1941
Londonderry, New Hampshire – September 30, 1943
Updated January 28, 2022
Beech At-10
U.S. Air Force Photo
On September 30, 1943, a Beech AT-10, (#42-43597) with two officers aboard left Troy, New York, on a cross-country navigation flight to Grenier Field, in Manchester, New Hampshire. While enroute they encountered IFR rules conditions. While passing over the town of Londonderry they aircraft crashed in a heavily wooded near Scobie Pond. The plane did not burn, but both were men aboard were killed. The wreckage was discovered the following day.
The dead were identified as:
1st Lt. William C. Curtis, age 23. He’s buried in Mound Cemetery in Racine, Wisconsin.
2nd Lt. Charles Wilson Jr., age 23. He’s buried in Hillside Cemetery in Eastport, Washington. To see a photo and obituary of Lt. Wilson, click here: https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/79166095/charles-harold-wilson
Sources:
Nashua Telegraph, “Grenier Field Airmen Dead In Plane Crash”, October 2, 1943.
Book: “Fatal Army Air Forces Aviation Accidents In The Unites States, 1941-1945”, by Anthony J. Mireles, C. 2006.
www.findagrave.com
Brooklyn, Connecticut – December 26, 1977
On December 26, 1977, a Piper Cherokee with three people aboard was passing over Brooklyn, Connecticut, approaching Danielson Airport in the neighboring town of Killingly. When the plane was about 2,000 yards from the runway, it fell in a wooded section on the Brooklyn side of the town line.
A 54-year-old man was killed in the crash, the other two persons aboard were injured.
Source: New York Times, “One Killed, 3 Hurt In Connecticut Crashes Of Two Small Planes”, December 27, 1977 (The headline refers to another crash earlier that same day where two men were inured when their small plane crashed just after takeoff at Tweed-New Haven Airport.)
Franklin, Massachusetts – August 2, 1929
In August of 1929, a barnstorming exhibition was to be given at the Indian Rock Race Track in Franklin. In anticipation of the event, it was reported that the owner had “improved the field”.
“A windsock has been erected, and the top of the reviewing stand has been painted with the flying insignia with the lettering of an airfield. Bushes along the runway have been cut down, and trees at one end cut so that a long glide can be made to the field. the runway is a hard smooth dirt road which will be ideal for landing. It is planned to have parachute jumping as a feature when the plane arrives.”
Unfortunately, the expected aircraft was delayed one day due to stormy weather.
On August 2, it was reported that “The Command-Air” bi-plane arrived with Sergeant Julien Buckwalder of Bridgeport, Connecticut, at the helm, and H. Lester Metcalfe of Franklin as a passenger. As the plane was coming in to land, the huge crowd of spectators suddenly rushed forward onto the landing field, apparently unaware of the danger they were putting themselves in. To avoid injury to the people, Buckwalder aimed the plane for an un-mowed grassy area, and upon touching down the wheels hit a rut sending the plane into a ground loop before flipping over.
Both pilot and passenger climbed out of the wreck with minor injuries. Upon seeing the crash, the swarm of humanity mobbed the aircraft ignoring the high octane fuel leaking from its tanks. Fortunately no fire erupted.
As a point of interest, on November 14, 1940, an unidentified pilot made an emergency landing with his small “flivver” aircraft in the center field of Indian Rock Race Track when he encountered bad weather while on his way from Philadelphia to Norwood (Mass.) Airport.
Sources:
Woonsocket Call, “Flyer Forced back By Storms”, August 2, 1929, Pg. 2
Woonsocket Call, “Plane crashes In Landing On franklin Field”, August 3, 1929
Woonsocket Call, “Pilot Makes Emergency Landing In Center Of Indian Rock Race Track”, November 14, 1940, Pg.2
Waterford, CT – February 11, 1960
On the night of February 11, 1960, a twin-engine airplane carrying four men en-route from Washington to Connecticut crashed into a water-filled quarry in the town of Waterford, Connecticut. One of the men, Richard A. Georgetti, 25, managed to escape before the fuselage sank to the bottom carrying the others down with it.
The bodies of the other three, (the pilot) Elwin Hendricksen, 24, Richard Edwin Opdyke, 29, and Fred Luecke, 27, were later recovered by divers.
Source:, New York Times, “Two Die In Air Crash, Another Is Missing As Craft Falls In Connecticut”, February 12, 1960
Pawtuckaway State Park – November 29, 1944
B-24 Liberator
U.S. Air Force Photo
On November 29, 1944, a B-24 Liberator, (#44-49669) took off from Grenier Field in Manchester, New Hampshire, en-route overseas. When the plane was about 16 miles north-east of Manchester it suffered a structural failure in the rear rudder system causing the pilot to loose control. The B-24 crashed and burned at the base of Middle Mountain in Pawtuckaway State Park in the town of Nottingham, N.H. There were no survivors.
As part of the investigation into this crash, military authorities spoke with three witnesses who stated the plane was flying low and even, and not trailing smoke of flame. Two reported seeing an object or objects fall away from the aircraft just before the crash.
The dead were identified as:
(Pilot) 2nd Lt. Paul Lavern Hackstock, 24, of Fort Morgan, Colorado. He’s buried in Riverside Cemetery in Fort Morgan. (See www.Findagrave.com)
(Co-pilot) 2nd Lt. Wilbur C. Stephenson, 23, of Cokesville, Penn. He’s buried in Blairsville Cemetery, Blairsville Penn.
(Navigator) Warrant Officer Russell L. Jones, 20, of Grand Rapids, Mich. He’s buried in Greenwood Cemetery, Grand Rapids, Mich.
(Engineer/Gunner) Cpl. Calvin R. Rickenback, 19, of Ephrata, Penn.
(Radio Operator/Gunner) Thomas L. McDougall, 21, of Marydel, Maryland. He enlisted Jan. 22, 1943.
(Gunner) Cpl. William L. Swarner Jr., 19, of Overland Park, KS. He’s buried n Highland Park Cemetery, Kansas City.
(Gunner) Cpl. Preston K. Smith, 19, of Strawberry Plains, Tenn. He’s buried in Thorngrove Cemetery, Thorngrove, Tenn.
(Gunner) Cpl. Kenneth J. Young, of Windsor, Ontario, Canada
(Gunner) Cpl. Robert H. Wells, 24, of Hanover, N.H. Survived by his wife Myra.
Sources:
Nottingham Community Newsletter, Nov./Dec. 2013, Vol 15, Issue 6.
U.S. Army Air Force crash investigation report #45-11-29-19
www.findagrave.com
North Smithfield, Rhode Island – November 25, 1928
On November 25, 1928, a flight of five U.S. Army airplanes were returning to Boston from New Haven, Connecticut, when one piloted by Lieutenant Robert O’Brien developed engine trouble. The plane was equipped with two gas tanks, and when the first was almost empty, O’Brien opened the fuel supply line from the second, but discovered that the line was clogged. Almost immediately the engine began sputtering and then stopped, leaving O’Brien with no choice but to make an emergency landing.
Looking down he saw the old Woonsocket Trotting Park, but noted there was a football game in progress on the field, so he aimed the plane for a nearby farm. The farm belonged to George Wright, on Woonsocket Hill Road, in North Smithfield, and is still in operation today.
As the plane came in to land, the wheels caught the top of a fence which sent it crashing nose first into the sod. The aircraft was badly damaged, but O’Brien and his civilian passenger, Robert Wise, were uninjured.
Source: Woonsocket Call, “Two Escape Injury When Plane Crashes”, November 26, 1928, Pg. 1
Boston Airport – July 8, 1929
On July 8, 1929, a Ford tri-motor aircraft belonging to Colonial Air Transport took off from Boston Airport with fifteen people aboard bound for New York. Just after takeoff one of the three engines quit, forcing the pilot, Zustis I. Wells, to turn back to the airport. As he was landing the plane, someone drove a team of horses into its path necessitating the pilot to head the plane into a ditch near the runway. The aircraft was damaged, but there were no reported injuries.
Another plane was brought over and the passengers resumed their trip.
Source: New York Times, “New York Plane Damaged”, July 9, 1929
Sikorsky Memorial Airport – April 27, 1994
Town of Stratford, Connecticut
On the evening of April 27, 1994, a chartered passenger plane with nine people aboard left Atlantic City, New Jersey, bound for Sikorsky Memorial Airport in Stratford, Connecticut. (The aircraft was a twin-engine Navajo Chieftan.)
Shortly before 11:00 p.m. as the plane neared Stratford, it encountered heavy fog conditions with only 100 feet visibility. The control tower at the airport had closed at 10:30 p.m., and was unmanned as the plane approached, leaving the pilot to attempt the landing unaided.
Due to the age of the aircraft, it did not contain a “black box” or other data recording devices, so it’s unclear if the pilot attempted to abort the landing while over the runway, or simply overshot it due to poor visibility. What is known is that the aircraft crashed into an eight-foot metal barrier placed on an embankment at the end of the runway, and exploded. Some of the debris went over the embankment and landed on Main Street which was just beyond the barrier.
Seven of the nine people aboard were killed in the crash, but two survivors were taken to Bridgeport Hospital in critical condition with severe burns. One of them died hours later.
Their names were not immediately released.
Sources:
New York Times, “Seven Killed In Fiery Crash Of Airplane”, April 28, 1994
New York Times, “Cause Is Sought In fatal Crash Of Airplane On Casino Trip”, April 29, 1994
New York Times, “Flawed Airport Design Is Called Cause Of 8 Deaths In Crash”, December 14, 1994
Seekonk, Massachusetts – November 25, 1928
Shortly after 1 p.m. on November 25, 1928, a private plane carrying three young men took off from What Cheer Airport in Pawtucket, Rhode Island, for a sight-seeing flight. Less than fifteen minutes later the plane crashed on Cole’s Farm in Seekonk.
The lone witness to the crash, Edward L. Cole, 17, stated the plane was passing over at an altitude of about 800 feet when the motor suddenly stopped, and the aircraft went into a spin and crashed.
The pilot, William Lang, 23, and a passenger, Stanislaus D’Ambra, 20, both of Providence, were killed instantly. A second passenger, Francis Clancy 18, was still alive but gravely injured. He died while en-route to Pawtucket Memorial Hospital.
Roland Coutu of Providence was supposed to go on the flight, but gave up his place to D’Ambra.
As often happened in such accidents, word of the crash spread quickly and thousands of curious onlookers descended on the scene.
Source: Woonsocket Call,”3 Providence Men Killed In Seekonk Plane crash”, November 26, 1928, Pg. 1
Stratford, Connecticut – December 26, 1991
Just after 9:00 a.m. on December 26, 1991, a single-engine Piper Comanche, with a lone pilot aboard, left Sikorsky Memorial Airport in Stratford bound for Oxford, Connecticut. Just after take off the pilot radioed that he was having engine trouble and didn’t think he could make it back to the airport. He opted to set the plane down on Interstate 95, which runs north and south along Connecticut’s shoreline. The aircraft came down in the southbound lanes of the highway where it skidded into a guardrail then careened across all three southbound lanes and slammed into a Jersey barrier.
The pilot was trapped in the wreck with critical injuries, and it took rescue workers 30 minutes to extract him from the cockpit. Meanwhile traffic backed up for six miles in both directions.
Miraculously no automobiles or trucks were involved in the accident, and state police attributed this to a nearly empty highway at the time of the crash, due to it being the morning after Christmas when most people had the day off.
Source:
New York Times, “Small Plane Crash Lands On Highway”, December 26, 1991
Boston Airport – July 24, 1923
On the afternoon of July 24, 1923, Lieutenant Kitchell Snow of the 101st Observation Squadron of the Massachusetts National Guard, took off from Boston Airport in a former British training aircraft. There were two passengers aboard, Sergeant Oscar D. Lecain, and his cousin, 10-year-old Howard Carkin of North Chelmsford, Mass.
As the plane rose off the runway and headed out towards the water, the engine suddenly quit. Not wanting to land in the water with two passengers aboard, Snow banked the plane back towards shore, and when he did the aircraft suddenly dove nose first into the mud flats.
The impact drove the motor into the cockpit crushing Lieutenant Snow. Both passengers survived.
It was reported that Lieutenant Snow was “the second victim of accidents at the field since its opening in June.” The particulars of the first accident weren’t stated.
Another accident involving a plane from the 101st Observation Squadron occurred on December 18, 1924, when Chester E. Wright, flying a JNS-1 (23-536) crashed in Boston Harbor.
Source: Woonsocket Call, “Lieut. Snow Killed In Airplane Crash”, July 25, 1923, Pg. 5
Boston Harbor – June 5, 1930
Updated January 19, 2016
On June 5, 1930, a Ford Tri-motor aircraft, Nacomis, (NC9675) owned by Colonial Air Transport, with fifteen people aboard, took off from Boston Airport bound for New York. Just after becoming airborne, while at an altitude of 100 feet, the right motor suddenly quit, causing the plane to go into a side slip and spin into the water of Boston Harbor.
The tide was out at the time, and the water was only several feet deep, which many believed prevented the accident from being worse than it was.
One passenger drowned before help could arrive. The deceased was identified as P. S. Thorsen, a contractor of both Boston and New York.
Others aboard included:
(Pilot) Owen O’Connor, and (Co-pilot) Val Chick
Passengers:
Mrs. H. E. Webster, of N.Y.
Simon De Vaulchier, of N.Y.
W. E. Wilson, of Boston
I. H. Morrison, of N.Y.
M. H. Shapiro, of Boston
H. D. Beaton, of N.Y.
W. H. Sheafer, of Pittsburg, PA.
Charles H. Jacobson, of Long Island, N.Y.
Mrs. Charles Jacobson, of Long Island, N.Y.
H. S. Ford Jr., of Brookline, MA.
W. A. Stayton, of Rochester, PA.
Henry Wallis, of Boston
Sources:
Aviation Safety Network, aviation-safety.net
The Pittsburgh Press, “Pittsburger Hurt As Plane Dives Into Sea”, June 5, 1930
New York Times, “Air Liner Plunges 15 In Boston Bay, 1 Dies”, June 6, 1930
Mount Higby, Connecticut – August 15, 1966
On August 15, 1966, a single-engine Cessna 172, (N6003R), with two men aboard left Block Island, Rhode Island, bound for Hartford, Connecticut. En-route the plane encountered foul weather and crashed into the summit of Mount Higby, roughly sixteen miles from their destination.
The pilot, Richard Grimaldi, 32, of Newington, Connecticut, was killed in the initial crash, but the passenger, John Emanuel, 39, survived, and was pinned in the wreckage.
The plane was reported missing and a search was instituted, but the plane wasn’t located until August 21st, six days after the crash. The wreckage was located in a rocky-cliff area about 45 feet from the top of Mount Higby. Remarkably, John Emanuel was still alive. He was airlifted off the mountain and brought to Meriden General Hospital in critical condition. Unfortunately he succumbed to his injuries three days later.
Sources:,
New York Times “Flier Is rescued In Connecticut After 6 Days In Plane Wreckage”, August 22, 1966
New London Day, “Man Survives Six days Trapped In crashed Plane”, August 22, 1966
New York Daily News, “Man Pinned In Plane 6 Days Should Recover, Doc Say”, August 23, 1966, (With photo of airplane.)
Lewiston Evening Journal, “Hartford Man Dies As Result Of Plane Crash”, August 24, 1966, pg. 9
New London Day, “Man Who Spent 6 Days Trapped In Plane Dies”, August 24, 1966
Haverhill, Massachusetts – October 14, 1921
On October 14, 1921, Peter Pomerleau and Joseph H. Harrison were flying over Haverhill when their seaplane developed engine trouble. The sputtering motor was heard by high school football players as the plane passed overhead.
Pomerleau tried to land the plane in the Merrimac (Merrimack) River, but lost altitude too quickly and crashed into trees at the waters edge off Riverside Avenue. The plane was wrecked and both men were trapped inside. They were pulled free by members of the football team who rushed to the scene after witnessing the accident. Both suffered serious injuries and were transported to Hale Hospital by automobile.
Source: Woonsocket Call, “Two Flyers Injured In Merrimac Glide”, October 15, 1921.
Wallingford, Connecticut – November 23, 1940
On November 23, 1940, Omar Simonds, 20, a student at Yale University, and part of the University’s student pilot training program, was taking off from Lufbery Airport when the aircraft pancaked into a gully near the end of the runway. He was transported to New Haven Hospital with non life-threatening injuries. It was reported that the airplane, although heavily damaged, could be repaired.
Source: New York Times, “Student Pilot In Crash”, November 24, 1940
Atlantic Ocean – November 20, 1952
70 miles south-east of Block island
P2V Neptune
U.S. Air Force Photo
In the early morning hours of November 20, 1952, a two navy P2V Neptunes from Quonset Point Naval Air Station were taking part in an anti-submarine warfare exercise off Block Island with the submarine USS Piper, (SS-409), and the navy tug, USS Hopi, (AFT-71).
Shortly after 4:00 a.m. the two planes rendezvoused over the Jamestown Bridge in Narragansett Bay, and headed for the operational area about 70 miles off Block Island. One planes was piloted by Lieut. Alvin S. Hibbs, and the other by Lt. Cmdr. Noble R. Kean. (Bu. No. 124242)
Hibbs later told investigators, “Commander Kean was behind me a mile or so, and we carried on radio chit-chat. He said all the other men were in very high spirits over the radio. We arrived at the operating area a half hour later and circled for awhile, and then endeavored to make radar contact with out target. There were two targets visible by radar, and I investigated on while Commander Kean investigated the other.”
Hibbs found his “target” and after making two “runs” on it he tried to contact Kean by radio, but couldn’t. Then the submarine and tug tried to make contact and were unsuccessful.
Hibbs flew over Kean’s last known position and found two smoke lights and debris on the water’s surface. The smoke lights had apparently broken free of the wreck and were automatically activated. The tug arrived in the area and collected some of the debris, but found no sign of the crew.
One of the last to see the missing aircraft was Lieut. Herbert C. Taft, who was aboard the submarine Piper when Kean’s Neptune passed over. “I observed the aircraft going across our bow on his run. I observed no malfunctioning of the aircraft and received no notification by radio that anything was wrong. I followed his flight out for approximately four or five miles.”
At that point the lights on the Neptune, “indicated it was making a right banking turn.”
“Shortly thereafter”, Taft went on, “we heard a dull thud. Because there was no indication of an explosion and no flash, this particular noise worried me, so I went below and tried to contact the aircraft to no avail.”
The cause of the crash could not be determined.
The dead were identified as:
Lt. Comdr. Noble R. Kean, 34, a native of Evanston, Ill. He was survived by his wife Sarah.
Lt. Thomas J. Tiernan, 28, of Wickford, R.I.
Aviation Mechanic 2c John R. Quirk, 27, of Lavelle, Penn. He was married just twelve days earlier on November 8, to Miss Constance Lussier of West Warwick, R.I.
Aviation Ordnance Man 2c George A. Buehler, 22, of Nekoosa, Wis. He too was recently married on October 4 to Miss Irene Carvalho of West Warwick.
Lt. Seymour A. Moyl, 26, of Bronx, N.Y.
Aviation Electronics Man 1c Roland O. Eades, 29, of Indiana.
Seaman Salvatore A. Coia, 21, of Rome, N.Y.
Seaman Joseph A. Gray, 20, Bronx, N.Y.
Sources:
Providence Journal, “Bomber Plunges Into Atlantic Off Block Island”, November 21, 1952, Pg. 1
Providence Journal, “Quonset pilot Described Crash As Observed From Submarine”, November 21, 1952
The Daily Record, (Dunn, N.C.), “8 Killed In Plane Crash”, November 20, 1952.
Lynn, Massachusetts – October 21, 1915
On October 21, 1921, two men took off in a bi-plane for an experimental flight from Lynn and flew out over nearby marshland where one of the wings suddenly folded. The aircraft plunged from an altitude of 750 feet embedding itself deep into the soft mud of the marshes. Both men were killed.
The dead were identified as J. Chauncey Redding of Melrose, Mass., and Phillip Bulman of Malden, Mass.
Sources:
(Woonsocket) Evening Call, “Biplane Collapses, Two Aviators Dead”, October 22, 1915, Pg. 7
Hartford Courant, (Conn.) “Two Men Killed By Fall Of Biplane”, October 22, 1915
Mt. Lamentation, Berlin, Connecticut – September 17, 1929
On the night of September 17, 1929, Henry H. Tallman, 33, a U.S. air mail pilot with Colonial Air Transportation, departed Brainard Field, in Hartford, bound for Newark, New Jersey, with 500 pounds of mail. The weather was foggy, and ten minutes into the flight Tallman plowed into the side of 720 ft. high Mt. Lamentation. The plane, a Pitcairn PA-6 Mailwing, exploded and burned on impact killing Tallman instantly.
Shortly before the crash Tallman was reportedly flying low to the ground, and almost struck a bus, and then a house, before hitting the mountain. The owner of the home told reporters that the plane was within twenty feet of the ground seconds before the crash.
Mr. Tallman had been flying the Boston to Newark route since January of 1929, having replaced Edward C. Carrington who died in a mail-plane crash at “Bald Hill” Connecticut, on January 5th. (The town and location of Bald Hill not specified.) Carrington had replaced another air mail pilot, Daniel G. Cline, who died on September 3, 1927 while flying over Willington, Connecticut.
Henry Tallman was a veteran of World War I. He was survived by his wife and daughter in Ridgewood, New Jersey. He’s buried in Valleau Cemetery in Ridgewood. (See www.findagrave.com memorial # 39889207) https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/39889207/henry-hopper-tallman
Tallman was the third airmail pilot to die in the line of duty flying the Boston – Hartford – New York route. https://newenglandaviationhistory.com/willington-ct-september-3-1927/
Sources:
New York Times, “Jersey Mail Pilot Killed In Crash”, September 18, 1929
The Troy Times, “Pilot Killed When Plane Hit Mt. In Fog, September 18, 1929
New Britain Herald, “Night Mail Pilot Killed In Berlin As Plane Crashes And Is burned Near Peak Of Mount Lamentation”, (With photo), September 18, 1929
Ridgefield, Connecticut – June 11, 1983
Shortly before 2:00 p.m. on June 11, 1983, a Beechcraft Bonanza, took off from Danbury, Connecticut. There were four people aboard, three men and one woman. Roughly ten minutes after leaving Danbury, the aircraft crashed in a wooded area off Mopus Bridge Road in the town of Ridgefield, less than 200 yards from the New York Border.
The occupants of the plane were found in the badly burned wreckage. Positive identification was to be made by the Medical Examiner’s Office.
Source: New York Times, “Four Die As Small Plane Crashes Minutes After Leaving Danbury”, June 12, 1983
Lynn, MA – October 14, 1921
On the morning of October 14, 1921, two men took off from Lynn in a home-made monoplane and crashed from an altitude of 1,000 feet. Both were killed.
The dead were identified as Everett Foster of Winchester, Mass., and Fletcher Anderson of West Lynn.
The aircraft was to be flown in the American Legion Aerial Regatta being held in Providence, Rhode Island. It was reported that the aircraft weighed 700 pounds and could fly 80 mph.
Source:
Woonsocket Call, “Two Aviators Dead By Fall Of Plane In Lynn Marshes”, October 15, 1921, Pg. 3
Tolland, Connecticut – July 4, 1973
Updated July 20, 2017
On July 4, 1973, a Piper Cherokee with a father and his two sons aboard left Orange County, New York, bound for Hopedale Airport in Hopedale, Massachusetts. Shortly after 6:00 p.m. the aircraft crashed into a home on Columbine Road in the Hillside Estates section of Tolland. All three occupants of the airplane were killed instantly. The plane did not catch fire, however the house suffered major damage.
The homeowner was not home at the time of the crash.
One witnesses told reporters that the plane had suddenly appeared from the low cloud cover with its “engine roaring”. It looked as if it would clear the house, but then its right wing dipped and struck a tree near the home. The fuselage slammed into the home and came to rest about 50 feet away near a wooded tree line.
Police and firefighters had trouble reaching the scene due to curious people clogging the road with their cars.
Sources:
The Hartford Courant, “Plane Rams House; Three Die”, July 5, 1973 (Two Photos)
Pawtucket Times, (R.I.), Photos of house with caption, July 5, 1973, Page 12
Providence Evening Bulletin, “Conn. Air Crash Kills Mass. Father, Sons”, July 5, 1973, page 12
Providence Journal, “3 Die In Crash Of Light Plane In Connecticut”, July 5, 1973, page 19
The Hartford Courant, “Witness Knew None Survived”, July 5, 1973
New York Times, “3 killed In Crash Of Private Plane”, July 5, 1973
Block Island Sound – September 4, 1951
P2V Neptune
U.S. Air Force Photo
On September 4, 1951, a navy P2v-3 Neptune, (Bu. No. 122978) took off from Quonset Point Naval Air Station with seven men aboard to take part in an exercise with a submarine in the waters between Block Island and Montauk Point, Long Island, N.Y.
According to one eyewitness account, “The plane showed evidence of being in distress. Then it suddenly plunged, struck the water and exploded.”
The plane was assigned to Patrol Squadron 5, (VP-5) tasked with locating submarines using sophisticated electronics.
The plane crashed about 30 miles east of Montauk Point. (71-42W, 40-30N)
The cause of the accident was not determined. All seven men aboard were killed.
The dead were identified as:
Lt. Cmdr. Jerome J. Rossillion, 32, Jacksonville NAS.
Lt. Herschell B. Thorpe, 30, Jacksonville, Fla.
Aviation Electronics Technician Charles G. Chapman, 21, Malden, Mass.
Chief Aviation Machinist Charles L. Cook, 32, Yukon, Fla.
Aviation Electronics Operator Ralph R. Maxfield, 29, Jacksonville, Fla.
Aviation Electronics Operator Frank M. Roeder Jr., 21, St. Louis, Mo.
Aviation Ordinance Man Kenneth G. Peterson, 26, Jacksonville, Fla.
According to naval authorities, the plane had been at Quonset for two weeks, and had left about an hour before the accident.
Source: Pawtucket Times, “Quonset Plane Crashes, 7 Die” September 5, 1951, Pg. 1
Dorchester Bay, Massachusetts – September 2, 1911
On the morning of September 2, 1911, Joseph S. Cummings took off from Squantum Field in Quincy, Mass., for a flight in his Bleriot monoplane. As he was flying over Dorchester Bay, he crashed into the water from an altitude of 500 feet. (Another source puts the altitude at 300 feet.) Fortunately he was quickly recued with only minor injuries by the crew of the Coast Guard cutter Gresham.
One source blamed the cause of the accident as being sun glare off the water that temporarily blinded him, while another source blamed engine failure when a cylinder head “blew out”.
The New York Times termed it “the first accident in the two years of aviation at Squantum.”
Sources;
The Tacoma Times, (Washington), “Falls Into Sea; Lives”, September 2, 1911
New York Times “Airman Falls In Bay”, September 3, 1911
Evening Star, (Washington D.C.) “Revenue Cutter Service”, September 11, 1911
Boston Harbor, Massachusetts – May 18, 1930
On May 18, 1930, a 26-year-old man from Winthrop, Massachusetts, was test flying a new Curtiss – cabin monoplane over East Boston Airport when he suddenly developed a problem with the rudder. He tried to bring the plane down on the airfield but overshot the landing and sailed out over the harbor and hit the water about 200 feet from shore.
Richard Cowden, a salesman for Curtiss-Wright, jumped into the water and swam to the pilot’s assistance. Both clung to a wing of the partly submerged aircraft until rescued by a motorboat sent from the air field.
The pilot was treated for cuts and immersion.
Source: New York Times, “Saves Self In Plunge Of Plane Into Water”, May 19, 1930
Stamford, Connecticut – August 27, 1933
On August 27, 1933, Army Air Corps pilot Captain Ernest Emery Harmon, 40, took off from Washington, D.C. bound for Mitchel Field on Long Island, N.Y. As he neared the New York City metropolitan area he encountered heavy fog and wound up over the coast of Connecticut instead of Long island, N. Y.
At 10:00 p.m. he was seen circling low over the Turn-of-the-River section of the town of Stamford, Connecticut. After making a wide circle his plane suddenly dove towards the ground and struck group of trees. The aircraft glanced off the top of one tall tree and then flew on into another smashing the ship to pieces. The ship came to rest about 300 feet off the Long Ridge Highway, which today is Route 104.
Captain Harmon’s body was found about 1/8 of a mile from, the wreck. It was speculated that he was either thrown from the plane during the first tree strike, or bailed out of the plane at too low of an altitude for his chute to deploy. It was noted that the plane’s fuel tank was empty.
Captain Harmon was a well known and skilled aviator. He gained national fame in 1919 when he made the first “Round-the -Rim” flight of the United States, flying counterclockwise along the entire borders of the U.S. The flight, made in a Glenn Martin Bomber, took 114 hours and 45 minutes, covering a distance of about 10,000 miles.
Captain Harmon was raised in Tuxedo, Maryland, where he played football at Eastern High School and later attended Bethany College, in West Virginia. AT the time of his death he was stationed at Mitchell Field on Long Island. He was survived by his wife Harriette, and three sons. He’s buried in Arlington national Cemetery.
For photos and other information about Captain Harmon, click on the links below to go to the Arlington National Cemetery, and Find A Grave Websites. http://www.arlingtoncemetery.net/eeharmon.htm
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/49198156/ernest-e-harmon
Sources:
New York Times, “Army Plane Crash Kills Air Veteran”, August 28, 1933
Arlington National Cemetery Website
www.findagrave.com
Long Island Sound – November 17, 1958
On November 17, 1958, a four-passenger Piper aircraft left New York’s La Guardia Airport, (Now J.F.K. Airport) on a return trip to North Central Airport in Smithfield, Rhode Island. The aircraft was piloted by Albino Beltrami, 36, of Providence. His passengers, George W. Horton, 49, of Cumberland, R.I., and Eugene Sullivan, 50, of Shrewsbury, Mass., were in the aluminum manufacturing business, and had been in New York on business. Somewhere over Long Island Sound the plane disappeared.
No distress call had been received, and it was surmised that whatever had happened, had been quick. Residents along the Connecticut shore in the area of Madison, Connecticut, reported hearing a low flying plane and then an explosion the night the plane went missing.
Three days later a hat believed to belong to Mr. Horton washed up on Hammonasset State Park Beach in Madison. A friend of Horton’s stated he was “reasonably certain” that the hat was one the missing man had bought a few days earlier due to the certain way Horton was known to crease his hats.
On November 21st, a tobacco pouch washed ashore at Madison, and was positively identified as belonging to the pilot of the missing plane.
A large scale search was concentrated in that area involving Coast Guard and Civil Air Patrol personnel, but nothing further was found.
On April 28, 1960, a lobster fisherman was dragging for bait off Meig’s Point at Hammonasset Park when his net snagged on the missing airplane in 58 feet of water. A month later divers confirmed it was the missing Piper with the remains of three men aboard.
Sources:
Providence Journal, “Hat Found On beach Linked To Lost Plane” November 20, 1958, Pg.1
Providence Journal, “Pilot’s Pouch Found On Beach”, November 21, 1958, Pg. 11
Providence Journal, “Skin Divers Locate Bodies Of Two R.I. men In Plane” May 17, 1960, Pg. 26
Windham Airport – June 18, 1946
Town of Windham, Connecticut
On June 18, 1946, a Pan-American Constellation passenger liner took off from La Guardia Airport in New York City bound for Newfoundland and then on to England. The four-engine aircraft, known as the Atlantic Clipper, carried 42 passengers and a crew of 10. Among the passengers were two well known actors, Laurence Olivier, and Vivian Leigh.
Shortly after take off, while the aircraft was over Plainfield, Connecticut, one of the four engines caught fire, then abruptly broke free of the wing and fell away to earth. The pilot, Captain Samuel H. Miller, declared an in-flight emergency and set a course for Rentschler Field in East Hartford, Connecticut, but in-route spotted Windham Airport below and made for it.
Captain Miller didn’t drop the landing gear as he made his final approach because he didn’t know if the burning engine had set the underside of the plane on fire, and he didn’t want to risk any flames igniting the fuel tanks. He brought the plane in for a perfect belly landing, and when it skidded to a stop everyone was evacuated safely.
There was no mention as to what happened to the flaming engine when it hit the ground.
Sources:
New York Times, “Atlantic Clipper Drops Engine, But Lands Safely In Connecticut”, June 19, 1946
Evening Star, (Washington, D.C.), “Olivier, Wife Resume Ocean Flight After 52 Escape Plane Crash”. June 19, 1946
The Nome Nugget, (Alaska), “Pan Am Clipper Crash-Lands At Tiny Airport”, June 19, 1946
Warwick, Rhode Island – September 21, 1985
On September 21, 1985, a Beech V35B, (N5NG), with a husband and wife aboard took off from Worcester, Massachusetts. While over the Providence metropolitan area, approximately 12 miles away from T.F. Green Airport in Warwick, the pilot radioed he was having trouble with the engine and requested clearance to land. The pilot was given vectors to T.F. Greene, but on his approach, the aircraft lost power and crashed into the Jersey barrier of the northbound lanes of Interstate Route 95, about a tenth of a mile south of Exit 15. Both were killed.
Miraculously, no vehicles on the highway were involved in the accident.
The cause of the crash was determined to be a failure of the engine crankshaft from fatigue.
Source:
NTSB – NYC85FA244, microfiche # 29832
Woonsocket Call, “Crash Of Small Plane On I-95 Claims Lives Of Worcester Couple”, September 22, 1985
Turners Falls, Massachusetts – September 20, 1943
At about 3:00 p.m., on September 20, 1943, a Pitcairn PCA-3 Autogyro, NC11612 took off from Turners Falls Airport in Montague, Massachusetts, and crashed about a half hour afterwards about one mile west-northwest of the airport. The pilot, Donald Whitman was seriously injured.
Whitman was test flying the aircraft for the Department of Agriculture, flying low at tree-top level to simulate aerial spraying which was what the autogyro was to be used for. At one point the landing gear snagged some electrical wires which caused the accident. The wires were stretched between poles which were partially hidden by dense foliage.
Source: Civil Aeronautics Investigation Report 4066-43, May 19, 1944.
Hartford, Connecticut – July 4, 1866
On July 4, 1866, a balloon exhibition was scheduled to take place at State-House Square in Hartford, however as the balloon lay tethered to the ground, clouds began to move in and the wind began to increase. Despite the change in weather, the two aeronauts, identified only as Sweet and Bassett, insisted the show would go on.
Once the balloon was aloft, Sweet was to give a performance on a trapeze suspended beneath the gondola, but as the wind began to blow harder he began having second thoughts. Bassett, however, did not, and climbed into the gondola and gave the signal to release the balloon. Unfortunately, there was a delay by some who were holding the tether ropes, for they all didn’t let go in unison. Consequently the balloon swung into some telegraph wires which cut the string which held the anchor rope. The anchor released without Bassett’s knowledge, and as the balloon began to rise the anchor snagged in the wires, causing the balloon to uncontrollably blow back and forth with the increasing wind.
Bassett, still unaware that the anchor was holding the balloon down, began tossing ballast overboard to get it to rise, but without success. Once he realized the situation, he called to those on the ground to cut the rope, which they were unable to do because the wires on the poles were out of reach.
The wind continued to grow stronger and pushed the balloon into some trees where the emergency cord which would allow the balloon to be rapidly deflated was severed, leaving Bassett no way to bring the balloon down. Then the wind began pushing the balloon back and forth, smashing it into the trees, and then away. At one point as it came into the trees, Basset leaped out and grabbed hold of the branches. He did so not a moment too soon, for as he was clinging to the upper part of the tree, the anchor rope suddenly ripped free from the gondola, which sent the balloon shooting skyward with nobody inside!
The balloon, which was valued at somewhere between $800 to $1,000, was last seen heading northward and upward, until it was nothing more than a mere speck in the sky. What became of it is not recorded.
Source: New York Times, “The Fourth In Hartford”, July 7, 1866
Stonington, Connecticut – January 15, 1932
On January 15, 1932, a plane carrying three men left Boston bound for New York. The pilot, Glenn Parker, 22, of St. Johnsbury, Vermont, was ferrying Cresson Parker, 31, and Earl Johnson, 22, both of Newport, New Hampshire, to New York so they could fly two new airplanes back to New England. While traveling along the southern coast of Rhode Island they encountered heavy fog, so the pilot dropped the airplane low to the ground. As they passed over the town of Westerly, R.I., they barely missed scraping the roofs of several buildings. Shortly after the plane passed from Westerly to the neighboring town of Stonington, it crashed near the New Haven Railroad tracks in the Pawcatuck section of town.
Cresson Parker later died at Westerly hospital from injuries he received in the crash. The other two men suffered cuts and abrasions, but recovered.
Source:
New York Times, “Crash In Connecticut”, January 16, 1932
Narragansett, Rhode Island – August 9, 1914
On August 9, 1914, aviator Harry M. Jones was seriously injured when he crashed his airplane in the Narrow River in Narragansett. No further details were given.
Source: New York Times, “Narragansett Flier Hurt”, August 10, 1914
Jones was famous for landing his airplane on the Boston Common on January 2, 1913, to collect a cash prize offered by a Boston newspaper to the first person to do it. Unfortunately the newspaper had rescinded the offer two days earlier.
Update June 19, 2016
Jones was involved in an earlier crash on May 25, 1913, when he crashed into Narragansett Bay while giving an exhibition at a baseball game.. For details, see elsewhere on this website under Rhode Island Civil Aviation Accidents.
East Granby, Connecticut – July 9, 1982
On July 9, 1982, 1st Lieutenant Daniel Peabody, 27, of the Connecticut Air National Guard, took off from Bradley Field in Windsor Locks in an A-10 Thunderbolt II aircraft, (Ser. No. 78-0585), for a routine training flight. His was one of three A-10s taking part in the training exercise. All of the aircraft were assigned to the 103rd Tactical Fighter Group based at Windsor Locks.
At 3:35 p.m. as he was returning to Bradley Filed and approaching Runway 6, the aircraft lost all power. and Lt. Peabody was forced to eject at an altitude of only 1,000 feet. While he landed safely, the A-10 crashed in a field in East Granby, tumbled across a roadway, and through a boundary fence at the edge of Bradley Field, leaving a debris field that stretched more than 100 yards.
Sources:
The Hour – Norwich Ct. “Air Force To Investigate Jet Crash”, July 10, 1982, Pg. 3, by Martin J. Waters.
The Sun, (Westerly, R.I.), “Guard Pilot Safely Ejects From Fighter Before Crash”, July 11, 1982
Northern Maine – May 19, 1972
Several miles southeast of St. Pamphile, Quebec
The TBM-3E Avenger modified for crop spraying as it looked in 1991. Note the engine is missing, and the cowl ring lies in the foreground.
Photo courtesy Larry Webster,
Quonset Air Museum.
On May 19, 1972, a former World War II, U.S. Navy TBM-3E Avenger that had been converted to a crop sprayer was on a flight from New Brunswick to Ottawa, Canada, on a course that took it over U.S. airspace. While over northern Maine, the plane developed engine trouble and the pilot, Alan Woytaz, 40, was forced to make an emergency crash-landing in the Maine wilderness.
The former warbird belonged to Hicks & Lawrence Ltd., an aerial spraying company based in Ontario, Canada. On the day of the crash, Woytaz was piloting one of four aircraft sent to New Brunswick to have the sprayers calibrated. Afterwards, as the four planes made their way to a spraying job north of Ottawa, the carburetor on Woytaz’s plane malfunctioned.
“I was real lucky,” Woytaz told reporters, “everything happened right, including the soft spruce saplings I could see below. There I was, in the trees, not injured, but without a map. My buddy had a map and his aircraft was flying away.”
The area Woytaz had gone down in 1s extremely remote, and under other circumstances he might never have been found. Fortunately, one of the other pilots witnessed the crash, and circled briefly before having to fly on due to oncoming thunder storms. Woytaz was forced to spend the night in the aircraft until he was rescued the following day.
Another view of the crash site.
Note brush and trees have been cleared.
Courtesy of Larry Webster
Quonset Air Museum
The aircraft was not recovered, and remained where it fell for the next 19 years. During that time portions of the plane were removed. Three brothers from St. Pamphille, Quebec, hiked to the wreck, and over a period of three weekends, carefully disassembled and removed the engine, hauling it in sections through the thick forest and across a river to their home. This was no easy endeavor, for the fully assembled motor weighs 2,600 pounds. At their home, they reassembled the engine and preserved in in working order.
Other parts such as cockpit gauges were removed by the occasional souvenir hunter, and at one point a family of bears used the fuselage for their home, but overall the aircraft remained in good condition.
The tail, wings, and nose of the aircraft
had been painted orange.
Courtesy of Larry Webster
Quonset Air Museum
Eventually the wreck came to the attention of the Rhode Island Aviation Heritage Association, which was interested in recovering and restoring it as a warbird. The plane held special significance because it was the same type flown by former President George H. Bush during World War II, and Bush had received his flight training in Charlestown, Rhode Island. If the plane could be salvaged, the plan was to restore it with the markings of Bush’s aircraft. The association sought, and was granted, permission to salvage the Avenger.
An incredible amount of planning and logistics went into the recovery. As stated, the plane had gone down in a remote area, and the only practical way to bring it out was by air-lifting it via helicopter – a very big helicopter. Yet before that could happen, the land surrounding the wreck had to be cleared, which meant cutting down trees and removing thick brush. Over the years the plane had settled into the soil, which had to be dug away, and the wings had to be removed to reduce weight.
Courtesy of Larry Webster
Quonset Air Museum
Arrangements were made with the Connecticut Army National Guard to use one of their helicopters to air-lift the plane from the woods. This was done as a three-day training operation for the Guard. Once the plane had been extricated from the wilderness, it had to be transported to Rhode Island by flatbed trucks. Numerous man-hours went into this project.
The engine wasn’t overlooked, and a deal was struck to purchase it from the men who recovered it. It too had to be transported to Rhode Island.
How the Avenger looked upon arrival at the
Quonset Air Museum – 1991
Courtesy Larry Webster, Quonset Air Museum
Front view prior to restoration.
Courtesy Larry Webster
Quonset Air Museum
The removal took place on September 17, 1991, and within a few days the Avenger arrived at the Quonset Air Museum in North Kingstown, Rhode Island. Over the next several years volunteers worked diligently to bring it back to its former glory. As a result, the TBM-3E Avenger, (Bu. No. 53914) is now on display at the Quonset Air Museum.
Of the 9,839 TBM/TBF Avengers built, less than 200 survive today.
Photo showing the interior restoration of the
TBM-3E Bu. No. 53914
Photo by Jim Ignasher
Restoration nearly complete.
Photo by Jim Ignasher
Sources:
Bangor Daily News, “Three Brothers Treated Engine Like Baby For Nearly 20 Years”, September 21, 1991, Pg. 1
Bangor Daily News, “Recovery Operation Had Its Exciting Moments, But It Was Scary Too.”, September 21, 1991.
Bangor Daily News, “Bomber Recovery Called ‘Fantastic'”, September 21, 1991, Pg. 1
Bangor Daily News, “Pilot Recalls Day Plane Crashed”, September 21, 1991
The Westerly Sun, photo and caption, October 23, 1991, Pg. 3
The Westerly Sun, Recovered Plane May Be Shown Locally”, September 20, 1991
Morning Sentinel, “WWII Bomber Recovered”, September 20, 1991, Pg. 6
Morning Sentinel, “WWII Bomber Retrieved”, more detailed article than one above- no date.
Kennebec Journal, “WWII Bomber Lifted Out Of Northern Maine”, September 20, 1991
Providence Journal, “Rivet By Rivet, Plane Aficionados Restore WWII Torpedo Bomber”, January 11, 1998, PC4C4
Warbirds International, “Avenger Recovery” by Howard Weekly, Jr., January/February 1992
Other information and photos provided by Larry Webster, Aviation Archeologist and Historian, Quonset Air Museum.
U.S. Navy Link Trainer Knots Gauge – Note Orange Coloring.
East Granby, Connecticut – July 25, 1964
On July 25, 1964, a Connecticut Air National Guard F-100F Super Sabre fighter jet assigned to the 118th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron took off at 12:43 p.m. from Bradley Field in Windsor Locks for what was to be an Air Defense Command training mission. At 1:44 p.m., as the jet was approaching Bradley Field, it crashed about a half-mile short of the main runway just after the pilot reported a flame-out. Both crewmen aboard were killed.
The dead were identified as:
(Pilot) Captain Thomas G. Jurgelas, 31, of South Windsor, Conn. He was survived by his wife and two children.
Captain Wesley A. Lanz, 29, of Rockville, Conn.
Both men were former classmates, graduating in 1957 from the University of Connecticut.
Source:
New York Times, “2 Connecticut Men Killed In Jet Crash”, July 26, 1964
Providence Journal, “Two Air Guard Officers Killed In Conn. Crash”, July 26, 1964
B-36 Peacemaker Fuel Gauges – Click To Enlarge
B-36 Peacemaker – U. S. Air Force photo
Marlborough, Connecticut – April 10, 1933
Rentschler Field was an airfield that opened in East Hartford, Connecticut, in 1931, and remained active into the 1990s. It was named for Frederick Brant Rentschler who established the aviation division at Pratt & Whitney Aircraft of East Hartford. Today the Pratt & Whitney (football) Stadium at Rentschler Field occupies the site.
On April 10, 1933, Lieutenant Harold Fairchild, 24, took off from Rentschler Field for a test flight of a new aircraft. Lt. Fairchild received his flight training through the army at Kelly Field in Texas. He then went on to advanced training and received his commission as a 2nd Lieutenant. A month later he joined the Aeronautical Research Department of Pratt & Whitney as a test pilot. The purpose of this flight was to test the altitude limits of the aircraft.
It was well known at the time that a pilot needs supplemental oxygen when flying above 10,000 feet. When Fairchild reached an altitude of 35, 000 feet, it was believed that his oxygen system either ran dry or failed, causing him to loose consciousness. The plane plummeted nose first out of the sky and crashed on a farm belonging to John Rankl in Marlborough, Connecticut, a town southeast of East Hartford.
Lieutenant Fairchild was born in Pelham, New York, and graduated from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1921.
Sources:
New York Times, “Lieut. Fairchild Dies In Connecticut Crash”, April 11, 1933
Historic Pelham, http://historicpelhamblogspot.com “Two Pelham Brothers Lost Thei Only Sons In Eerily-Similar Early Aviation Incidents”, June 11, 2015
Wikipedia
Bradley International Airport – June 4, 1984
Windsor Locks, Connecticut
On June 4, 1984, a Learjet 23, (N101PP) left Lorain County Airport in Ohio with scheduled stops at Cleveland, Syracuse, N.Y., Bradley International Airport, and then on to Philadelphia. At 11:40 p.m., as the plane was making its final approach to Bradley, it veered to the right and crashed in a massive fireball to the right of Runway 33, about 1,000 feet from the airport fire department. All three people aboard were killed.
The dead were identified as:
(Pilot) Charles Huffman, 32, of North Canton, Ohio.
(Co-pilot) Ronald Dulay, 26, of Lakewood, Ohio.
(Passenger) Eldridge Sheetz, 71, of Warsaw, Indiana.
The cause was blamed on a malfunction of the wing spoiler system which led to a loss of control.
Sources:
The Bulletin, UPI article, “Crash of Learjet Takes Three Lives”, June 6, 1984 (Bend and Duthces Co. Oregon)
Aviation Safety Network – Flight Safety Foundation, NTSB
The Sun, (Westerly, R.I.), “Three Killed In Bradley Airport Airplane Crash”, June 5, 1984, page 7
Norwich Bulletin, “Jet Crash At Bradley Claims 3 Lives”, June 5, 1984, page 5.
The Sun, (Westerly, R.I.), “Investigators Puzzled By Crash”, June 6, 1984, page 8, with photo.
Norwich Bulletin, “Investigation Begins Into Fatal Jet Crash”, June 6, 1984, page 5
Norwich Bulletin, “Witnesses Describe Learjet Crash”, June 7, 1984, page 8.
Nantucket Sound, Massachusetts – April 3, 1945
Ensign Vincent A. Frankwitz
The F6F-5 Hellcat flown by Ensign Vincent A. Frankwitz undergoing restoration at the Quonset Air Museum in R.I. Photo taken June, 2008.
On April 3, 1945, a flight of seven U.S. Navy Hellcats were on a training mission off the coast of Nantucket when one suffered a loss of oil pressure; an F6F-5, Bu. No. 70185. The pilot, Ensign Vincent A. Frankwitz, notified the flight leader of his predicament, and was ordered to land at Martha’s Vineyard, and began heading that way. While en-route, the engine seized, and he was forced to ditch in the water. Frankwitz scrambled from the plane before it sank, and was seen bobbing in the 42 degree water for the next twenty minutes. Rescue craft were launched, but Ensign Frankwitz succumbed to hypothermia before help could arrive, and his body sank beneath the waves. It was never recovered. https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/260429479/vincent-a-frankwitz
On August 13, 1993, a Massachusetts Army National Guard helicopter was flying over Nantucket Sound when the crew chief saw what he thought was an aircraft wreck on the ocean floor. The Coast Guard was notified, and investigation revealed that the wreck was an old one, draped with fishing nets.
A portion of the Hellcat flown by Ensign Vincent A. Frankwitz, removed during restoration, with the original blue paint still visible – Quonset Air Museum
Later in 1993, the aircraft was identified by Larry Webster, an aviation archeologist and historian with the Quonset Air Museum in Rhode Island, as likely being the one flown by Ensign Frankwitz. Divers who examined the wreck later confirmed this to be the case.
The Hellcat was in remarkably good condition despite its years in salt water. On December 4, 1993, the aircraft was raised and brought to Oak Bluffs, Massachusetts, where it was carefully dismantled before it was shipped to the Quonset Air Museum for restoration.
As of this writing, the Hellcat is still undergoing restoration, and when it’s completed, it will serve as a memorial to Ensign Frankwitz, and all Navy and Marine airmen who lost their lives in WWII.
Update: The Quonset Air Museum has permanently closed. What became of the partially restored aircraft is unknown.
The name of Ensign Frankwitz can be found on the Charlestown Auxiliary Landing Field memorial in Ninigret Park, in Charlestown, Rhode Island.
Middletown, Rhode Island – August 3, 1937
1930s map showing the former location of the airport in Middletown, R.I.
On the morning of August 3, 1937, Everett Johnson Peck Jr., of New York, flew his private airplane from Bridgehamption, Long Island, to Newport Airport, in Middletown, Rhode Island.
The airport currently known as Newport State Airport was opened n 1967, and is not the same Newport Airport that Mr. Peck flew to. That airport was located on the shore of Narragansett Bay in the town of Middletown, and no longer exists. (See map – click on image to enlarge.)
Mr. Peck arrived at the airport safely. At about noon time, he decided to take off again to view the start of the America’s Cup Race, however he crashed on takeoff and was taken to Newport Hospital with serious injuries.
The type of plane was not stated.
Source: New York Times, “E. J. Peck Jr. Injured”, August 5, 1937
Lake Waramaug, Connecticut – July 7, 1929
Lake Waramaug lies in three towns, Kent, Warren, and New Prospect. It is unclear in which town this accident occurred.
On July 7, 1929, two men, Martin F. (Texas) Brown, 34, and Gordon Spencer Whittley, 19, were in an open cockpit Waco biplane heading from New Jersey to an outing at Lake Waramaug. Brown was an experienced airman, and of late had been teaching Whittley how to fly. (Brown was married to Wittley’s older sister, Eleanor.) The aircraft was equipped with dual controls, and it’s unknown which of the two was piloting the plane as it approached a small landing strip known as Hopkins (Field) along the shores of the lake.
Whittley’s older brother Phillip had been awaiting their arrival at the air strip, and as the aircraft passed overhead he signaled which way the wind was blowing. As the plane began to turn around to land against the direction of the wind, it suddenly lost power and dove nose first into the ground from an altitude of about 400 feet. Both occupants died instantly.
Martin Brown was a veteran military pilot (and ACE) of World War I. During his service he was wounded three times by anti-aircraft fire. After the war he became a pilot for the U.S. Mail.
Sources:
New York Times, “Connecticut Crash fatal To 2 Fliers”, July 8, 1929.
The Washington Times, “Fatal Airplane Crash Investigation Planned”, July 8, 1929, pg. 19.
The Daily Worker, (Chicago), “Two Killed In Wreck Of Airplane”, July 9, 1929
Near Bennington, Vermont – July 15, 1930
On July 15, 1930, Frank Goldsborough and Donald Mockler were flying from Cleveland, Ohio, to Keene, New Hampshire, when they encountered fog over the Bennington region and crashed into a mountain eight miles east of Bennington. The plane had struck a tree and slid to the ground pinning Goldsborough in the wreck, but Mockler was able to extricate himself and go for help. For five hours he made his way through the woods and brush before coming to a farmhouse a mile out of Bennington.
A contingent of about 100 volunteers accompanied Mockler back into the woods to the wreck site. Progress was slow because Mockler had lost his glasses, and had trouble identifying landmarks. Sixteen hours after the crash, Goldsborough was carried down the mountain and brought to Putnam Memorial Hospital in Bennington where he died the following day.
Frank Goldsborough had recently achieved fame as the American record holder of the Junior Transcontinental Air Speed Record. He was the son of Frank Goldsborough who was himself a well known pilot, who died in December of 1927 when his aircraft disappeared off Cape Cod.
Source: New York Times, “Goldsborough Crashes In Vermont Mountain; Party Seeks Young Flier Pinned Under Plane”, July 15, 1930
Wikipedia – Frank Goldsborough
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