Fall River, MA. – December 14, 1991

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

 

Fall River, MA. – June 4, 1989

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.  

Fall River, MA. – May 11, 1983

Fall River, Massachusetts – May 11, 1983 

     At 6:00 a.m. on the morning of May 11, 1983, a 57-year-old pilot took off from New Bedford Airport in a single-engine, two-seat, fiberglass aircraft that he’d built himself.  Construction of the aircraft had taken two years, and cost $12,000.  The purpose of the flight was to log flight hours on the airplane.  Previous to this flight, the pilot had logged 18 flight hours with it. 

     At about 8:00 a.m., while flying at an altitude of 2,000 feet over the Fall River area, the engine suddenly quit.  The pilot attempted to make a “beeline” to Fall River Municipal Airport but found he was losing altitude too quickly, so he aimed for an open stretch of Riggenbach Road about a half-mile east of the airport.  As it came down, the airplane skimmed some tree tops which tore off the wings.  The fuselage remained intact and when it hit the ground there was no fire. Remarkably, the pilot was not injured, and credited his seatbelt for saving his life. 

     It was reported that the suspected cause of the accident was ice forming in the carburetor.  

     Source:

     Providence Evening Bulletin, “Just ‘Cooking Along’ When The Engine Quit”, May 12, 1983, page C-5

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