Dartmouth Massachusetts Plane Crash | New England Aviation History

Dartmouth, MA. – July 18, 1947

March 22, 2026

Dartmouth, Massachusetts – July 18, 1947

On July 18, 1947, a pontoon-equipped Cub airplane with two men aboard was attempting to make a water landing in Padanaram Harbor in Dartmouth when the plane narrowly missed a bridge and then crashed into the water. One man was killed in the crash, the second died a few hours later at St. Luke’s hospital in New Bedford.

Source:

Providence Journal, “Plane Crash Kills 2 At Padanaram”, July 19, 1947, pg. 3.

Off Dartmouth, MA. – October 31, 1979

September 26, 2018

Off Dartmouth, Massachusetts – October 31, 1979

On October 31, 1979, a 52-year-old pilot from Marion, Mass., was piloting a single-engine Cessna 150 over Buzzard’s Bay off Cape Cod when he radioed that he was losing altitude. At the time of his transmission, he was eight miles off shore, and at 1,400 feet. He stated he was heading for land, and would to try to set the plane on the beach. The Coast Guard cutter Bibb was notified, as was a search and rescue helicopter at Otis Airforce Base in Falmouth. The aircraft went down in the water about a mile from shore, off Smith Neck Road in Dartmouth. The wreckage was spotted shortly afterwards by the search helicopter, and the pilots body was recovered floating nearby.

Source:

Providence Evening Bulletin, “Crash Kills Marion Pilot”, November 1, 1979, page B-2