Dudley, Massachusetts – December, 19, 1927
50th Anniversary Of U.S. Air Mail Service
Issued May 15, 1968
On the evening of December 19, 1927, U. S. Air Mail pilot C. P. Oleson took off from Boston with a plane full of Christmas mail bound for Hartford, Connecticut. While in route he encountered severe headwinds and turbulence which reportedly buffeted the plane about “like a feather”. Realizing the danger, Olsen attempted to land the plane at Dudley Airport but crashed while doing so. The plane came to rest upside down with considerable damage to it. Olsen, however, was able to free himself from the wreckage and discovered he was unhurt.
Olsen then made his way to a nearby home where he asked to use the telephone. The mail was brought to the Webster, Mass. post office.
The plane was owned by the Colonial Transport Company and was valued at $11,000. It had only been in service four weeks at the time of the crash.
Source:
Webster Evening Times, (Ma.), “Mail Plane Crashes At Landing Field At Dudley Last Night”, December 20, 1927
