Rentschler Field – May 3, 1944

Rentschler Field, East Hartford, Connecticut – May 3, 1944

Updated February 2, 2022.

 

B-24 Liberator
U.S. Air Force Photo

     On the night of May 3, 1944, a B-24 Liberator with a crew of eleven men aboard, took off from Westover Field in Chicopee, Massachusetts, for a night cross-country navigation training flight. 

      While over New York, the number three engine lost power so the pilot turned the plane back towards Westover.  Before long another engine lost power and the plane was rapidly loosing altitude, so the pilot decided to make an emergency landing at Rentschler Field.  Then it was discovered that there was a problem with the landing gear.  The nose wheel had to be cranked down manually, but it couldn’t be locked in place.      

     The plane landed on the main wheels with the nose kept high, but when the nose wheel touched down it collapsed and the front of the aircraft hit the ground and was crushed as the nose dug in, killing the pilot, 2nd Lt. John W. Garrett, age 19, and injuring four members of the crew.  The other six escaped without injury.    

     Lt. Garrett is buried in Green Mountain Cemetery in Baltimore, Maryland. To see a photograph of Lt. Garrett click here: https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/114672261/john-work-garrett

     Sources:

     Springfield Union, “Westover Pilot Is Killed In East Hartford Crash”, May 4, 1944   

     www.findagrave.com

     Book, “Fatal Army Air Forces Aviation Accidents In The United States, 1941-1954”, by Anthony J. Mireles, C. 2006.  

West Hartford, CT. – September 7, 1944

West Hartford, Connecticut – September 7, 1944

 

B-24 Liberator
U.S. Air Force Photo

     On September 7, 1944, a flight of B-24 Liberators out of Westover Field in Chicopee, Massachusetts, were on a combat training flight over the Connecticut River Valley when two of the aircraft were involved in a mid-air collision.  One aircraft crashed, but where it crashed was not stated.  It was initially reported that all of the crewmen aboard that plane parachuted safely however, by the end of the day it was realized that one man was missing.  His body was later recovered in the waters of Hartford Reservoir No. 5, located in West Hartford, Connecticut.

     The other aircraft was able to make it back to Westover Field. 

     The deceased aviator was identified in the press as Corporal John T. Melvin, age 20, of Selma, Alabama.  

     Sources:

     The Springfield Union, “Two Westover Planes Crash”, September 7, 1944.

     The Springfield Union, “Westover Man’s Body Is Found”, unknown date.

Groton, CT. – July 4, 1945

Groton, Connecticut – July 4, 1945

 

U.S. Navy F6F Hellcat
U.S. Navy photo

     On the night of July 4, 1945, a group of navy aircraft were making a series of landings and takeoffs at the Groton Naval Auxiliary Air Field as part of a training exercise.   One of the aircraft taking part was an F6F-5 Hellcat, (Bu. No. 70879).  Another aircraft was an F4U Corsair, (Bu. No. 81612).

 

 

F4U Corsair
US Navy Photo

  Shortly before 11:00 p.m., the Corsair made a normal landing and taxied towards the end of the runway while the Hellcat made its approach and landed.  The Hellcat landed at a normal speed and proper interval from the Corsair however, due to excessive darkness, what the pilot of the Hellcat didn’t realize was that the Corsair hadn’t completely cleared the end of the runway.  At 170 feet before the end of the runway the Hellcat drove into the rear of the Corsair completely demolishing the Corsair, and causing substantial damage to the Hellcat.  Fortunately neither pilot was seriously hurt.    

     Source: U.S. Navy Accident report dated July 4, 1945.

 

Bradley Field, CT. – March 22, 1944

Bradley Field, Windsor Locks, Connecticut

P-47 Thunderbolt – U.S. Air Force Photo

     At 1:30 p.m., on March 22, 1944, army 2nd Lt. Leeroy Halverson (Spelled with two e’s.) took off from Bradley Field for a routine training flight in a P-47D Thunderbolt, (Ser. No. 42-8264).  About an hour later, as he was making his approach for landing, his aircraft crashed at the beginning of the runway and he was killed.

     Lt. Halverson was assigned to the 1st Fighter Squadron, First Air Force.  He’d received his pilot’s rating on February 8, 1944.   

     Lt. Halverson is buried in Union Cemetery in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.  To see a photo of his grave go to www.findagrave.com, memorial #126963224. 

     Source:

     U.S. Army Air Forces Report Of Aircraft Accident, #44-3-22-20 

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