Grafton, MA. – July 21, 1929

March 7, 2026

Grafton, Massachusetts – July 21, 1929

     On July 21, 1929, two men took off in a small plane from the Worcester Airport in Grafton.  The passenger was a photographer, and the purpose of the flight was to fly over the Metropolitan Dam and take pictures.  As the plane was returning to Grafton at an altitude of about 3,000 feet, the pilot decided to perform a loop the loop maneuver.   According to witnesses, as the plane came out of the loop its fabric skin suddenly ripped away and billowed causing the aircraft to go into a dive and crash.  Both men were killed instantly.  

     The Worcester Airport mentioned here is not the Worcester Airport in Worcester, Massachusetts.  It was a private airfield that opened in Grafton on October 12, 1927. 

     Sources:

     Providence Journal, “Loop Rips Plane, Crash Kills Two”, July 22, 1929      

Filed Under: Massachusetts - Civil Tagged With: ,

Grafton, MA. – January 10, 1928

March 4, 2026

Grafton, Massachusetts – January 10, 1928

     On January 10, 1928, a student pilot was killed and his instructor was seriously injured when their plane went into a nosedive and crashed into a stone wall about 100 feet from Whiteall Field.  (Whiteall Field was an airport in Grafton that opened in 1927.)   

     The type of aircraft was not reported. 

      The seriously injured pilot was transported to a hospital in Worcester. 

     Sources:

     (Providence) Evening Bulletin, “G. W. Knowlton 3rd Dead, Pilot Hurt In Plane Crash”, January 10, 1928.

     Providence Journal, “Student Flier Killed In Worcester Crash”, January 11, 1928. 

 

Filed Under: Massachusetts - Civil Tagged With: ,

North Grafton, MA. – January 10, 1928

December 2, 2025

Grafton, Massachusetts – January 10, 1928

     On January 10, 1924, two men were flying in a Waco airplane over the North Grafton Airport when the plane suddenly nosedived into the ground.  Both men were seriously injured and transported to a hospital and placed on the danger list. 

     According to witnesses, the plane was flying smooth and level when it suddenly went into a dive. 

     Source: 

     Webster Evening Times, (Ma.), “Plane Crashes, Two Worcester Men Injured”, January 10, 1928  

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

North Grafton, MA. – July 21, 1929

January 16, 2022

North Grafton, Massachusetts – July 21, 1929

     On July 21, 1929, two men were in an unspecified airplane flying 2,500 feet over the airport in North Grafton.  After nearly completing what was described as a “long loop”, a piece of the wing fabric tore loose which caused the plane to plummet and crash to the ground.  Both the 31-year-old pilot, and his 44-year-old passenger, a commercial photographer, were killed instantly.  Both men were from Worcester, Massachusetts.  

     Source:

     The Brownsville Herald, (Texas), No headline, AP news item with just a byline “Worcester, Mass.”, July 22, 1929.

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