from author and historian Jim Ignasher
Windham, Connecticut – April 13, 1944
TBF-1 Avenger
U. S. Navy Photo
On the morning of April 13, 1944, a navy TBF-1 Avenger, (Bu. No. 24124), landed short of the left side of the runway at the Windham Air Field. The left wing dragged and the plane went off the runway where it went into some soft dirt and was thrown over onto its right wing. The aircraft was damaged, but there were no injuries.
Source:
U. S. Navy accident report #44-13163, dated April 13, 1944.
Windham, Connecticut – May 2, 1966
On May 2, 1966, a Piper Cherokee with two men aboard left Brainard Field in Hartford bound for Windham Airport. At 10:14 p.m., as the plane was approaching Windham, the pilot requested clearance for landing. Two minutes later he declared that he had an emergency and attempted to land. The Piper crashed just short of the runway while traveling between 50 to 60 mph. The aircraft suffered considerable damage, and the men were transported to Windham Memorial Hospital for treatment of non-life-threatening injuries.
Sources:
New London Day, “Two Hurt In Plane Crash”, May 3, 1966
New London Day, “Plane Crash Victims Said Satisfactory”, May 4, 1966
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
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