from author and historian Jim Ignasher
Stafford Springs, Connecticut – January 5, 1929
On January 5, 1929, a small plane carrying mail for the U.S. Postal Service crashed in poor weather conditions on the outskirts of Stafford Springs, Connecticut.
The plane was a Fairchild FC-2, (NC5650), owned by Colonial Air Transport.
The 26-year-old pilot was killed.
Sources:
www.planecrashinfo.com
Hagley Digital Archives at digital.hagley.org
Hartford, Connecticut – February 3, 1930
Brainard Filed
Issued In 1930
On February 3, 1930, air mail pilot Lieutenant Carey T. Pridham, 29, took off from Newark Airport in a Pitcairn biplane bound for Brainard Filed in Hartford, Connecticut. As he was attempting to land at Brainard, the plane struck an observation platform located on the roof of the field house, tearing off the left wing, and sending the aircraft into the Connecticut River about 100 feet off shore. The plane landed upside down pinning the pilot inside. By the time someone could reach the site by boat Lt. Pridham was dead.
Lt. Pridham was born in Virginia, and lived in Lexington, Massachusetts, with his wife and three children. He’d been flying for over eight years and had 2,500 hours of flight time. He’d been flying the mail since July of 1929.
The aircraft belonged to Colonial Air Transport.
To see a photo of Lt. Pridman click here: https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/161164136/carey-thompson-pridham
Source:
New York Times, “Mail Flier Killed In Hartford Crash”, February 4, 1930
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