Holliston, Massachusetts – April 14, 1986
On April 14, 1986, a Bell 206 Long Ranger helicopter, (N302MC), with four men aboard, left Milford, Massachusetts, bound for Hanscom Field in Bedford, Massachusetts. All four men were employees of Millipore Corporation of Bedford, MA.
As the helicopter was approaching the area of Holliston, a Cessna 172P, (N52118), with two men aboard, was taking off from Hopedale Airport about five miles southwest of Holliston. The weather was clear with good visibility. Several minutes later the Cessna and the helicopter were involved in a mid-air collision 2,000 feet over Holliston.
The collision tore away the helicopter’s rotor blades, and the aircraft crashed in the middle of a housing development that was still under construction. All aboard the helicopter were killed, but there were no injuries to anyone on the ground.
The blades to the helicopter came down in the backyard of a private home several blocks away. Nobody was injured.
Meanwhile, the Cessna was able to make an emergency landing in a marsh.
Sources:
The Sun, (Westerly, R. I. ), “Four Die In Air Collision; Rotor Barely Misses School”, April 15, 1986, page 2.
Flying magazine, “On The record”, July, 1986, page 99.
Aviation Safety Network