Saddleback Mountain, New Hampshire – May 28, 1973
At 11:30 a.m., on Monday, May 28, 1971, a single-engine, yellow and white, Piper Cherokee, took off from a grassy field at Devil’s Bowl Speedway in West Haven, Vermont, bound for Rutland, Vermont, and disappeared en-route.
The pilot was George Delmar, 25, a racing car driver from Walpole, Massachusetts, who had arrived at the track to participate in the races held over the weekend.
It was reported that Mr. Delmar had experienced a slight accident with the aircraft upon his first attempt to take off, causing minor damage to the propeller and one of the wings. Despite this, he took a second time and set a course for Rutland.
The weather at the time was described as “extremely poor”. At some point Mr. Delmar radioed the tower at Rutland Airport and advised he’d decided not to land there, and was going “home” to Massachusetts instead. No further communications were reported in the press.
On Tuesday morning Rutland officials were notified that Delmar and his aircraft were missing and a search was instituted. Initially one aircraft was sent to search the estimated flight route, but was forced to abort due to heavy winds and driving rain.
Later in the day the Civil Air Patrol joined the search while state police cruisers were directed to check rural mountain roads for the downed aircraft.
The Civil Air Patrol flew 113 sorties over a five day period utilizing 25 aircraft and one helicopter, but no sign of the missing plane was found, and the search was suspended.
The missing aircraft was discovered on Saddleback Mountain in New Hampshire the following October by hikers from the University of New Hampshire. Mr. Delmar’s remains were recovered.
Sources:
The Burlington Free Press, “Search Begun For Aircraft Overdue At Rutland Airport”, May 30, 1973
The Burlington Free Press, “State Officials Halt Search For Missing Plane”, June 4, 1973
The Burlington Free Press, Dead Man Found In Wrecked Plane”, October 24, 1973
Rutland Herald, “Missing Plane Found In New Hampshire”, October 24, 1973