East Providence, Rhode Island – July 22, 1978
On July 22, 1978, a lone pilot left Falmouth Municipal Airport on Cape Cod bound for Hartford Connecticut. He was piloting a single-engine Beechcraft Musketeer, (#N5785V), a plane he was delivering to a dealership for his employer. At about 11:20 a.m., while passing over eastern Rhode Island, he declared an emergency as the aircraft’s engine began to run erratically. He’d hoped to make it to Green International Airport in Warwick, Rhode Island, but the engine lost all power as he was passing over East Providence. The aircraft was now at 3,000 feet, and the pilot was forced to glide in for an emergency landing. He spotted a grassy open area off Pawtucket Avenue and aimed for it.
After clearing some large fuel tanks at one end of the field, the plane came down and skidded along the ground before it struck a pole for some high-tension power lines. The impact cracked the pole sending the top half crashing to the ground. The aircraft came to rest with its nose completely demolished, but there was no fire, and the pilot was able to extricate himself. He was transported to a hospital for treatment of non-life-threatening injuries.
The cause of the accident was suspected to be a fuel leak.
Source:
Providence Sunday Journal, “Out Of Gas, Pilot Wings It”, July 22, 1978, page 1, (With Photo of wrecked airplane.)
