Putnam, Connecticut – November 18, 1930
On the morning of November 18, 1930, a lone pilot took off from Mantup Field in Putnam for a test flight before proceeding to Massachusetts. Shortly after becoming airborne, the motor sputtered and stopped and he was forced to make a crash landing in the surrounding woods. Fortunately the plane wasn’t badly damaged, and the pilot was not injured.
The cause was determined to be water in the gasoline, which, it was surmised, had seeped in during a recent rainstorm. The aircraft had been left outside because the airport did not have a hangar.
It was further reported that on the previous weekend, the aircraft had been engaged in “barnstorming” at the airfield, and had flown with several passengers.
Sources:
Windham Country Observer, “Plane Crashes At Mantup Farm”, November 20, 1929.
Putnam Patriot, “Motor Dies, Plane Crashes, Montreal Flight Cancelled”, November 21, 1929