Rentschler Airport, East Hartford, Connecticut – April 16, 1976
On April 16, 1976, a Connecticut Army National Guard Huey helicopter left Bradley International Airport in Windsor Locks bound for Groton. The crew consisted of the pilot, Major John M. Sivilla, and Chief Warrant Officer Gary Reviczky.
While over a residential section of East Hartford, sections of the tail rotor suddenly broke loose for no apparent reason. Major Sivilla was able to maintain control and head towards Rentschler Airport about a quarter-mile away. As he reached the airport and was in the process of landing, the helicopter bounced off the ground and spun around before crashing. One of the rotor blades tore into the cockpit barely missing Sivilla and Reviczky. There was no fire after the crash and both men escaped without injury.
One six foot long piece of the tail rotor imbedded in the roof of a private home on Margery Drive. No occupants of the home were injured. Another piece came down in the parking lot of the Edward B. Stevens School on Butternut Drive, and another section fell in a wooded area. There were no injuries on the ground.
Source:
Hartford Courant, “Guard Helicopter Crashes In E. Hartford; Pair Unhurt”. April 17, 1976, page 6. (With photo of crash)