Lakeville, Massachusetts – May 30, 1949
On the morning of May 30, 1949, two men in a small amphibious aircraft took off from South Watuppa Pond in Fall River, Massachusetts, bound for Long Pond in Lakeville, Massachusetts, to practice water take-offs and landings. When the plane arrived at Long Pond people living in the Cedardale settlement along the lake gathered along the shore to watch the proceedings.
At one point, as the pilot was making a landing, the aircraft suddenly flipped upside down upon striking the water. The impact was hard enough to seriously injure both men. The passenger was knocked unconscious and lay suspended by his seatbelt. The pilot managed to free himself, and used his pocketknife to cut the seatbelt and free the passenger.
Meanwhile onlookers from the shore quickly manned small boats and made their way out to the overturned plane and rescued the occupants. Both were transported to St. Luke’s Hospital in Middleboro.
The type of aircraft is unknown.
Source:
The Boston Globe, “Injured Pilot Saves Passenger As Plane Dives In Pond”, May 31, 1949, pg. 5. (Article supplied by Eric Wiberg, author and historian.)
