Norwood, Massachusetts – May 8, 1935
On May 8, 1935, a 40-year-old instructor at the Harvard Institute of Geography, and instructor of aerial photography at Massachusetts Institute of Technology, took off from the Norwood Airport in a small plane to demonstrate some aerobatic maneuvers in order to qualify for a limited commercial pilot rating. As he flew over the airport at an altitude of about 3,000 feet, he began to put the aircraft through a series of spins. After making one successful spin, he attempted another, but this time the engine stalled and he was unable to recover. The plane crashed into a swampy area along the Neponset River. The aircraft was wrecked, but fortunately the fall was broken by trees and thick muck, and the pilot only received a small cut on his forehead. He was able to walk away from the plane and wade through thick waist-deep muck to greet his rescuers. Later in the day he boarded another plane and flew to Boston.
The type of aircraft was not stated in the press.
Sources:
Washington Times, (D.C.), “Air Photographer Survives Crash”, May 9, 1935
Waterbury Democrat, (Ct.), “Flyer Crashed But Was saved”, May 9, 1935.
