Windsor, Massachusetts – December 10, 1986

Updated May 17, 2018

     On December 10, 1986, a Beech King Air 100 Turboprop, (N65TD), was en-route from Pal-Waukee Airport in Des Planes, Ill., to Pittsfield Airport in Pittsfield, Mass., when it encountered heavy overcast conditions over the Berkshire Mountains in western Massachusetts.  At approximately 9:30 a.m. the aircraft crashed in a wooded area in the town of Windsor, and exploded on impact.  All six men aboard were killed.

     An eyewitness to the event was a 21-year-old deer hunter who’d seen the plane circling overhead, but didn’t think it was in trouble until it crashed a quarter of a mile away from his position. 

     The location of the crash was between Bates Road and Savoy Hollow Road. 

    The aircraft was registered to the Teledyne Corporation of Los Angeles.  It carried a crew of two, and four passengers.  The passengers were all employees of Teledyne Post Inc.   

     This incident was reported to be the second worst aviation accident in the history of Berkshire County.   The worst occurred in the town of Peru, Mass., on August 16, 1942, when 16 army servicemen were killed when their transport plane crashed into Garnet Peak in heavy fog.       

     Sources:

     New York Times, “6 Die In Plane Crash In Berkshires”, December 11, 1986

     Chicago Tribune, “Exec’s Deaths Probed”, December 12, 1986 

     Aviation Safety Network

     Berkshire Eagle, “Plane Crash Claims 6 Lives In Windsor”, December 11, 1986

     Berkshire Eagle, “It was a Typical Day, Until…”, December 11, 1986

     Berkshire Eagle, “Berkshire Plane Crashes Have Taken 54 Lives Since 1942”, December 11, 1986