Narragansett Bay – September 17, 1950
On September 17, 1950, two men took off in a small aircraft from Taunton, Massachusetts, bound for Martha’s Vineyard. Not long after reaching altitude, the controls of the aircraft stopped responding properly. The pilot discovered that he couldn’t turn the plane to the left without it wanting to roll over onto its back. He gained altitude and tried again and found the results to be the same. He was now over Narragansett Bay. He attempted a right turn, but then noticed that he was in the flight path of aircraft taking off from the Quonset Point Naval Air Station. Afterwards he discovered that the plane wouldn’t turn right either, and was beginning to loose altitude. He cut the throttle and made an emergency crash-landing in the water about 200 yards off Knowles Beach, and 1/4 mile north of Scarborough Beach. The plane sank almost immediately but both men managed to get out. Both were rescued by a passing boat and taken to a hospital for treatment of their injuries.
Source:
Evening Bulletin, “Board Checks Plane Crash – Inspectors Seek Reason For Accident At Scarborough Beach”, September 18, 1950, pg. 10
