Southampton, Massachusetts – June 19, 1964

     At 11 p.m. on the night of June 19, 1964, a twin-engine Aero Commander 680, (Reg. No. N3445), with five people aboard, was making an approach to Barnes Municipal Airport in Westfield, Massachusetts, when the plane crashed in an apple orchard in the town of Southampton.  The weather was drizzly and foggy at the time of the crash.  Those in the control tower at Barnes later stated that they had been in radio contact with the plane prior to the crash, and the pilot had not reported any difficulty.     

     Passengers aboard the plane included two Unites States senators; Edward Kennedy and Birch Bayh, along with Bayh’s wife and Kennedy’s aide.  The pilot and the aide perished as a result of the crash.  

     Source:

     Woonsocket Call, (R.I.) “Plane Plummets Into Orchard – Ted Suffers Broken Back; Aide, Pilot, Killed In Crash”, June 20, 1964.