Quonset Point, R. I. – January 30, 1943
On January 30, 1943, a navy F4F Wildcat, (Bu. No. 12147), was taking off for a training flight from the Quonset Point Naval Air Station. Just as the aircraft reached an altitude of 700 feet the engine lost all power. The aircraft was too low for the pilot to bail out, so he tried to glide towards a wooded clearing. At an altitude of 50 feet he was able to restart the engine, and as he did so the Wildcat clipped some tree tops causing damage to the plane. The pilot was able to gain enough altitude to make it back to Quonset Point. As he was landing, the aircraft hit a snowbank which caused it to swing upwards into an almost vertical position and then slam back down. The aircraft was heavily damaged but the pilot was not injured.
Source:
U. S. Navy accident report dated January 30, 1943.