Atlantic Ocean – December 18, 1925
On December 18, 1925, naval aviator, Lieutenant Fred H. Decker, was test-flying an open-cockpit Wright airplane when he was caught in a strong gale over the area of Plymouth, Massachusetts. The winds were more than the small plane could handle and Decker was carried 175 miles out to sea. For six hours Decker battled the storm eventually making an emergency landing at Kingston, Massachusetts. There he spent the night in the home of a nearby farmer.
Decker had suffered serious injuries to his face due to the wind-chill and was hospitalized for treatment.
Source:
Nashua Telegraph, “Aviator In Desperate Struggle”, December 19, 1925.
