Quonset Point Naval Air Station – September 13, 1951
F4U Corsair
US Navy Photo
On September 13, 1951, an F4U-4 Corsair, (Bu. No. 81479), was taking off from runway 19 at the Quonset Point Naval Air Station. Immediately after becoming airborne, but while still over the runway, the pilot retracted the landing gear, and as he did so the plane settled back to the runway and briefly scraped the ground before bouncing back up and remaining airborne. The pilot managed to circle the field and make a successful emergency landing. The aircraft suffered damage to the propeller, the engine, the auxiliary fuel tank, and the landing gear doors. The pilot was not injured.
Source: U. S. Navy accident report dated September 13, 1951.
