Brainard Airport, CT. – May 9, 1930

Brainard Airport, Connecticut – May 9, 1930

     At 6 P.M. on the evening of May 9, 1930, a Lewis H. Taylor (55), and Milton H. Moore (30), were flying in a small airplane over Brainard Field in Connecticut.  Taylor was a former Captain who’d served in the U. S. Air Service during WWI.  Moore was the general manager for Interstate Airways (Connecticut) at Brainard Field.  Taylor had been taking flying lessons from Moore.

     As the aircraft was passing over the hangars the motor suddenly stopped.  An attempt was made to turn the aircraft to make an emergency landing but it was unsuccessful, and the plane crashed and exploded in flames.  Both men perished. 

     The accident was witnessed by Moore’s wife. 

     Chief Inspector George Pranaitis of the Connecticut Department of Aeronautics stated the cause of the accident was due to a faulty magneto. 

     In June of 1930 it was announced that Mrs. Moore would succeed her husband as general manager of Interstate Airways. 

     Sources:

     New Britain Herald, “Two Aviators Die In Brainard Crash”, May 10, 1939.

     The Evening Star (Washington D.C.), “Motor Is Blamed For Fatal Crash”, May 10, 1930, p. A-2.

     New Britain Herald, “Aviators Widow Takes Airways Management”, June 4, 1930, p.3. 

Hartford, CT. – October 9, 1942

Hartford, Connecticut – October 9, 1942

 

U.S. Navy SBD Dauntless
U.S. Navy Photo.

     On October 9, 1942, a civilian test pilot and a civilian observer took off from Hartford Airport in a Douglas SBD-2 Dauntless, (Bu. No. 2187).  The purpose of the flight was to test the performance of a newly installed propeller.  As the pilot was making a power-climb to 12,000 feet smoke and oil began coming from the engine.  The pilot made a rapid descent towards the airfield but lost power and crash-landed short of the runway causing extensive damage to the aircraft.  The pilot, and the observer were not injured. 

     Source: U. S. Navy accident report dated October 9, 1942  

Connecticut River – September 26, 1966

Connecticut River – September 26, 1966

     At 7: 30 p.m. on September 26, 1966, a Piper Cherokee with six young men aboard took off from Brainard Field in Hartford, Connecticut.  All were between the ages of 19 and 23, and all were students at Trinity College in Hartford.  Shortly after takeoff the aircraft lost power and plunged into the Connecticut River and sank.  All six men were able to escape, but one had reportedly suffered a head injury in the crash. As the group was swimming towards shore, the man with the head injury slipped beneath the water and was swept away by the current.  

     Source:

     The Hartford Courant, “Plane Engine Runs After River plunge”, September 28, 1966

Brainard Field, CT. – January 31, 1970

Brainard Field, Hartford, Connecticut – January 31, 1970

     On January 31, 1970, two single-engine private aircraft collided in mid-air over Brainard Air Field in Hartford.  Each plane, one a Piper Cherokee, the other a Piper Arrow, carried two people; all four were killed in the accident.  

     The Cherokee, containing a pilot-instructor and his student, fell into the Connecticut River, while the Arrow, containing two men from Ridgefield, Ct., crashed into a wooded section of the neighboring town of East Hartford.  It was not stated who was piloting either aircraft.

     According to witness reports, one aircraft was approaching from the south while the other from the west, each at an altitude of about 2,000 feet.  Then both went into a banking turn at the same time and collided at a 45 degree angle directly over the field.  It was not specified which plane struck the other.    

     Source:

     Providence Journal, “Four Die In Collision Of Two Light Planes”, February 1, 1970. (With photo)

Hartford, CT – February 3, 1930

Hartford, Connecticut – February 3, 1930

Brainard Filed

   

Issued In 1930

Issued In 1930

  On February 3, 1930, air mail pilot Lieutenant Carey T. Pridham, 29, took off from Newark Airport in a Pitcairn biplane bound for Brainard Filed in Hartford, Connecticut.  As he was attempting to land at Brainard, the plane struck an observation platform located on the roof of the field house, tearing off the left wing, and sending the aircraft into the Connecticut River about 100 feet off shore.  The plane landed upside down pinning the pilot inside.  By the time someone could reach the site by boat Lt. Pridham was dead.

     Lt. Pridham was born in Virginia, and lived in Lexington, Massachusetts, with his wife and three children.   He’d been flying for over eight years and had 2,500 hours of flight time.  He’d been flying the mail since July of 1929. 

     The aircraft belonged to Colonial Air Transport.

     To see a photo of Lt. Pridman click here: https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/161164136/carey-thompson-pridham 

     Source:

     New York Times, “Mail Flier Killed In Hartford Crash”, February 4, 1930  

 

Return to Top ▲Return to Top ▲