Greenwich Bay, Rhode Island – May 20, 1956
On the afternoon of May 20, 1956, two men were flying over the Greenwich Bay area in a small Ercoupe airplane when they allegedly decided to “buzz” pleasure boats. While doing so, the aircraft crashed into the water about 1,000 yards south of Warwick Light Both men escaped the plane before it sank and were transported by a patrol boat named “Gannett” to Rocky Point in Warwick. (The Gannett was described as a “state patrol boat” in the press.) It was reported that one of the men had to be rescued by a conservation officer aboard the Gannett.
The men told investigators that they had taken off from Hillsgrove Airport in Warwick and flown to Block Island. They were in the process of returning to Warwick when they thought they saw a boat belonging to a friend being operated below. According to the pilot, as the plane was circling down to see if it was their friend, “something snapped” and the plane crashed into the water.
However, the captain of the Gannett reported that the plane had been buzzing the area for about 20 minutes until a wingtip struck the water and the plane cartwheeled into the bay. Independent witnesses supported the captain’s version.
State and federal officials promised a full investigation.
Source:
Evening Bulletin, “Plane Crash In Greenwich Bay Probed”, May 21, 1956.
