Boston, Massachusetts – November 23, 1953
On November 24, 1953, three men took off from Martha’s Vineyard in a single-engine airplane bound for Boston’s Logan Airport. The plane was being ferried to Boston for service. As the plane was approaching Logan it crashed into the water just short of the runway. Initially, all three men successfully escaped the cabin and found themselves in the frigid water. One of the passengers was unable to swim because he’d been afflicted by Polio as a child, and as such was forced to wear metal leg braces to assist with his walking. Unable to swim due to the braces, he clung to the wreckage of the aircraft, but the plane sank before rescue could arrive, and he drowned. The pilot and the other passenger were transported to Winthrop Community Hospital for treatment of hypothermia and shock.
Source:
Providence Journal, “Man Drowned After Plane Crash As Leg Braces Prevent Swimming”, November 24, 1953, pg. 8.
