Fall River, MA. – June 1, 1969

June 12, 2026

Fall River, Massachusetts – June 1, 1969

     Shortly before 8 p.m. four friends were in the process of taking  off from the Fall River Airport in a Lark Commander airplane bound for Martha’s Vineyard.  Immediately after leaving the ground the engine failed and the plane crashed back down on the east-west runway.  The plane continued on, leaving a trail of debris before plowing through a fence and plunging over a 20-foot embankment overlooking Route 24.  The plane came to rest up-side-down just short of the highway. 

     None of the four occupants were seriously injured.  

     Source:

     Evening Bulletin (RI), “Four Escape In Plane Crash”, June 2, 1969, Pg. 29.   

Filed Under: Massachusetts - Civil Tagged With: , ,

Fall River, MA. – October 31, 1962

May 5, 2026

Fall River, Massachusetts – October 31, 1962

     At about 10:30 p.m. on the night of October 31, 1962, a 32-year-old student pilot was practicing take-offs and landings at Fall River Municipal Airport.  Aboard the plane with the pilot were his wife and two young daughters. 

     Conditions were foggy at the time, and the plane crashed in a wooded area 300 yards north of the runway.   The plane was wrecked, but the family wasn’t injured, and walked out of the woods on their own where they were met by police and fire fighters.    

      The pilot told investigators that the plane had developed carburetor icing leading to engine failure. 

     Source:

     Evening Bulletin, “Student Pilot And family Unhurt In Crash”, September 1, 1962, Pg. 7.

Filed Under: Massachusetts - Civil Tagged With: ,

Fall River, MA. – May 29, 1954

February 22, 2022

Fall River, Massachusetts – May 29, 1954

 

B-25 Mitchel bomber
USAF Museum photo

     On the morning of May 29, 1954, a B-25 Mitchell Bomber, (Ser. No. 44-31321), with four men aboard, took off from Otis Air Force Base in Falmouth, Massachusetts, bound for Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in Dayton, Ohio.  A short time later the left engine caught fire and the plane began loosing altitude.  Fog and low clouds obscured the ground creating low visibility as the pilot attempted to make an emergency landing at Fall River Airport.  As the pilot attempted to line up on a runway the B-25 crashed in a wooded area about one mile east of the airport.  The wings and fuselage broke apart but there was no fire. 

     The pilot, 1st Lieutenant Henry D. Woltz, was killed.  The co-pilot, 1st Lt. T. T. Monutz, and the crew chief, Airman 2/c Edward Crowther, were seriously injured.  A passenger aboard, Captain Joseph Smith, was able to drag the co-pilot from the gasoline soaked wreck.  He then made his way towards the airport for help. 

     Sources:

     Fall River Herald News, “Airman Is Killed In Plane Crash Here”, May 29, 1954, page 1, with photo.    

     The Provincetown Advocate, (no headline), June 3, 1954. 

Filed Under: Massachusetts - Military Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Fall River, MA. – December 14, 1991

February 22, 2021

Fall River, Massachusetts – December 14, 1991 

     On the evening of December 14, 1991, a lone 57-year-old pilot was making his way from Bowling Green, Kentucky, to Fall River in a twin-engine Piper Apache, (Reg. N4959P).   He made the trip without stopping in 5 hours and 40 minutes.  As he was approaching the Fall River area he encountered darkness, rain, thick fog, and strong wind conditions which caused low visibility.  At about 6:30 p.m. the aircraft crashed and burned in a wooded section of the Freetown State Forest about a mile from the airport.  The pilot was killed instantly.  Searchers located the wreckage at 4:30 a.m. the following morning.              

     Sources:

     Providence Journal, “Perfect Pilot Dies As He Tries To Land Plane”, December 16, 1991, page A-1

     Aviation Safety Network #40065

 

Filed Under: Massachusetts - Civil Tagged With: , , , , , ,

Fall River, MA. – June 4, 1989

February 19, 2021

Fall River, Massachusetts – June 4, 1989 

     On the evening of June 4, 1989, a 30-year-old man took off from a runway at the Fall River Airport in a home-built ultralight “gyrocopter” aircraft.  A few seconds after take off, when at an altitude of between 50 to 60 feet, the aircraft suddenly dove to the ground.  Several witnesses ran to aid the pilot and began CPR, but the pilot did not survive.  The accident was videotaped by the pilot’s girlfriend.   

     Source: Providence Journal, “Pilot Killed In Gyrocopter Crash”, June 6, 1989, page E-3.  

Filed Under: Massachusetts - Civil Tagged With: , , , , , , ,
Return to Top ▲Return to Top ▲