Mt. Tecumseh, New Hampshire, September 8, 1975

     On the evening of September 8, 1975, two Maryland men took off in a Cessna 172, (Reg. No. N1318F), from Bethesda, Maryland, bound for Laconia, New Hampshire.  While over New Hampshire they encountered heavy fog conditions, and crashed into a wooded area on Mt. Tecumseh between two trails of the Waterville Valley ski area.   The aircraft hit at the 3,100 foot level of the 4,000 foot high mountain, and was demolished by the impact, but remarkably both men were thrown clear of the wreckage and survived.  One suffered a fractured ankle.

     At 11:00 p.m. that evening, the wife of one of the men notified authorities that her husband’s plane was overdue.

     Both men remained on the mountain overnight, and at first light on September 9th, one man was able to make his way down the mountain and seek help.  A rescue party made their way to the crash site and brought the second man down.  Both men were treated at a hospital in Plymouth, N.H.     

     Source:

     Boston Globe, “Mountain Plane Crash Victim Walks For Help”, September 9, 1975