Putnam, CT. – April 23, 1929

Putnam, Connecticut – April 23, 1929

     On April 20, 1929, Army Lieutenant Everett L. Davis took off from Langley Field in Virginia and flew to Mantup Field  in Putnam to spend a couple of days visiting family.  He was piloting a military Curtiss Falcon at the time. 

     On April 23, he took off from Mantup for the return trip and once airborne discovered that the engine wasn’t running properly, so he turned back towards the airfield.  Upon touchdown the landing gear dug into the soft ground and the plane flipped on its nose breaking the propeller.  Davis wasn’t injured, and contacted military authorities at Roosevelt Field on Long Island, New York, who sent a plane with a mechanic and replacement propeller.  Once repairs had been made, Davis resumed his journey back to Virginia.       

     Source:

     Windham County Observer, “Lt. Davis’ Plane Took A Nose Dive”, April 24, 1929

Putnam, CT. – November 18, 1930

Putnam, Connecticut – November 18, 1930

     On the morning of November 18, 1930, a lone pilot took off from Mantup Field in Putnam for a test flight before proceeding to Massachusetts.   Shortly after becoming airborne, the motor sputtered and stopped and he was forced to make a crash landing in the surrounding woods.  Fortunately the plane wasn’t badly damaged, and the pilot was not injured.    

     The cause was determined to be water in the gasoline, which, it was surmised, had seeped in during a recent rainstorm.  The aircraft had been left outside because the airport did not have a hangar.   

     It was further reported that on the previous weekend, the aircraft had been engaged in “barnstorming” at the airfield, and had flown with several passengers. 

     Sources:

     Windham Country Observer, “Plane Crashes At Mantup Farm”, November 20, 1929.

     Putnam Patriot, “Motor Dies, Plane Crashes, Montreal Flight Cancelled”, November 21, 1929 

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