Coventry, R. I. – September 8, 1963

August 26, 2026

Coventry, Rhode Island – September 8, 1963

     On September 8, 1963, the Civil Air Patrol was conducting a training exercise at the RICONN Airport in Western Coventry near the state line.  One of the aircraft was being piloted by a 38-year-old lieutenant in the C.A.P.  As the lieutenant was making his landing approach to the grass runway, he undershot the runway, and cliped some trees.  The plane then spun around and crashed about 50 feet away.  The plane was a total loss, and the plot was transported to Day Kimball Hospital in Putnam, Connecticut. 

     It’s unknown if the aircraft was a private one or belonged to the C.A.P.

     Source:

     Evening Bulletin, “Coventry Crash Injures Flier”, September 9, 1963. 

Filed Under: Rhode Island - Civil Tagged With: , , , ,

Coventry, R.I. – July 9, 1976

September 3, 2018

Coventry, Rhode Island – July 9, 1976

     On July 9, 1976, a twin-engine Piper Apache with a lone pilot aboard took off from Green State Airport in Warwick, Rhode Island, bound for Plainville, Connecticut.  The purpose of the flight was to ferry the aircraft to Plainville for repairs.  While in-route, one of the engines lost power and began sputtering.  The pilot looked for a place to make an emergency landing  and saw an open pasture surrounded by woods.  The plane came in and clipped the tops of some trees at the edge of the field before crashing into the field and leaving a furrow 150 feet long before coming to rest.  There was no fire after the crash, and the pilot was transported to a hospital for serious injuries. 

     The field where the crash took place was known (at the time) as North Field, located about one mile west of Route 102, within view of Sisson Road.  

     Source:

     Providence Journal Bulletin, “Plane Crash Lands In Coventry Field; Lone Pilot Injured”, July 10, 1976, Page 7, with photo of crash scene.

Filed Under: Rhode Island - Civil Tagged With: , , ,

Coventry, R. I. – June 8, 1975

July 25, 2018

Coventry, Rhode Island – June 8, 1975 

 

     On June 8, 1975, a 49-year-old pilot from Niantic, Connecticut, landed at RICONN Airport in western Coventry for an outing of the Southeastern Connecticut Chapter of the Experimental Aircraft Association.  The aircraft the pilot landed in was referred to in the newspapers as a “Baby Ace”, (registration no. N4184A) , and was a single-engine, single-seat, home-built airplane, with a canvas covered steel frame.  The plane had been built more than ten years earlier, and had been flown extensively without incident.  Furthermore, the aircraft had recently passed its annual inspection.

     RICONN Airport has a grass filed in which planes take off and land.  At about 3:40 p.m. the pilot took off from the field for his intended destination of Waterford, Connecticut, but shortly after becoming airborne the aircraft lost power and stalled.  Witnesses saw the plane dive to the ground from an altitude of about 250 feet and crash in a wooded area about a quarter of a mile from the field, where it burst into flames.  The pilot did not survive.      

     Sources:

     New London Day, “Niantic Man Dies In Crash”, June 9, 1975 – with photo of aircraft.

     Providence Journal, “Two Pilots Killed In Crashes”, June 9, 1975, Page 1. – with photo of crash scene.  (The second crash referred to in the headline happened in Massachusetts.)

Filed Under: Rhode Island - Civil Tagged With: , , , , , , , , ,
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