Boston, MA – January 23, 1958

Boston, Massachusetts – January 23, 1958 

 

T-33 Trainer Jet U.S. Air Force Photo

T-33 Trainer Jet
U.S. Air Force Photo

     On January 23, 1958, two Air Force jets collided in mid-air 22,000 feet over Boston.  One was an F-94 Starfire out of Otis AFB, the other a T-33 out of Stewart AFB in Newburgh, New York.  Both were on routine training flights.

     The crew of the F-94 consisted of 1st Lt. Joseph G. Izzea, 23, and 1st Lt. John P. Horan, 21.  Both were killed either in the collision, or when their flaming jet crashed behind a home in Arlington, Massachusetts.  Witnesses felt Izzea may have been aiming for the Arlington Reservoir. 

 

 

 

F-94 Starfire U.S. Air Force Photo

F-94 Starfire
U.S. Air Force Photo

     The crew of the T-33, consisted of Captain William D. Bridges, 33, and Lt. Harold Woldmoe, 30.  Both got out safely, although Woldmoe said his ejection seat failed, and he got out as the plane was falling end-over-end.  Bridges came down in the icy waters of Quincy Bay about 15 miles away and was rescued by a helicopter twenty minutes later.  Woldmoe landed in the railroad freight yards near Boston’s South Station.  Both were treated at area hospitals.     

Sources:

Falmouth Enterprise, “Two Otis Fliers Die As Jets Crash Above City”, January 24, 1958.

(Troy, N.Y.) Times Record, “Two Airmen Killed As Planes Crash”, January 24, 1958

New York Times, “Jets Collide, Two Die”, January 24, 1958

Boston, MA – July 3, 1909

Boston, Massachusetts – July 3, 1909

 

    balloon On Saturday, July 3, 1909, a church in Cambridge, Massachusetts, was having a Fourth of July celebration fair.  Part of the festivities included a balloon ascension scheduled for later in the day.  At the appointed time, aeronaut Joseph J. Cannon, 37, took off in his balloon and drifted across the Charles River and over the Boston Common.  It was there the hot air in the balloon suddenly began to cool down causing an uncontrolled loss of altitude.  The craft came down between two tall business buildings at the corner of Washington and Milk Streets.  (These buildings no longer exist.) The balloon’s netting became caught, leaving Cannon suspended over the narrow alleyway that ran between the two buildings.   He was rescued, unhurt, by members of the Boston Fire Department.    

     Source: (New Brunswick) The Sun, “Boston Aeronaut Is Rescued From His Perilous Position” July 5, 1909 

 

East Boston Airport – November 13, 1938

East Boston Airport – November 13, 1938

    

Vintage Post Card View Of East Boston Airport

Vintage Post Card View Of East Boston Airport

     On November 13, 1938, students from the Phi Beta Epsilon fraternity of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology chartered three passenger planes for its “1938 version of the Boston Tea Party”.   The planes left East Boston Airport and flew in formation around the city of Boston while those aboard sipped tea.  All went well until the planes returned to the airport.  As one aircraft was making its way across the tarmac after landing, its landing gear suddenly collapsed.  Everyone aboard received a good jolt, but there were no reported injuries.  Damage to the plane was estimated to be $10, 000.  

     Source:

     New York Times, “Boston Tea Party In Air Ends As Big Plane Is Upset”, November 14, 1938

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