Plane Into House | New England Aviation History

Quincy, MA – July 7, 1947

May 14, 2016

Quincy, Massachusetts – July 7, 1947

SB2C Helldiver
U.S. Navy Photo

On July 7, 1947, a U. S. Navy, SB2C Helldiver, took off from Squantum Naval Air Station with two men aboard for a routine training flight. There was the pilot, Ensign George E. Curley, 26, and Storekeeper 3/C Hugh F. Ahern, 20, both of Boston.

Shortly after take off the aircraft suffered a sudden engine failure and crashed into three homes on Faxon Road in the Wollaston neighborhood of Quincy. The plane tore the chimney off the first home, then struck the roof of the second, before crashing into a third where it burst into flames and destroyed the home.

Ensign Curley was killed, but Ahern was thrown clear, and although he suffered serious injuries, he survived.

The 60-year-old homeowner of the third house suffered burns while escaping. The only other reported injury was to a fireman who suffered smoke inhalation while battling the blaze. Both recovered.

Sources:

Lewiston Daily Sun, “Plane Crashes Quincy House; Pilot Killed”, July 7, 1947

New York Times, “Navy Plane Dives Into Three Houses”, July 7, 1947

The Spokesman-Review, (Spokane, Wash.) “Navy Plane Hits House; 1 Killed”, July 7, 1947

West Greenwich, R.I. – April 24, 1946

May 8, 2015

Coventry/West Greenwich, Rhode Island – April 24, 1946

Updated April 2, 2026

F4U Corsair
US Navy Photo

On the afternoon of April 24, 1946, two navy F4U Corsairs, (Bu. Nos. 81416 and 81312) took off from the Quonset Point Naval Air Station for a routine training flight. At 3:17 P.M., while over the Lake Mishnock area of Coventry, R. I., the aircraft were involved in a mid-air collision. Moments later, the pilot of one plane (#81416) bailed out. His Corsair came down and crashed onto a house on Nooseneck Road in West Greenwich, and exploded, killing a mother and her 2-year-old son.

Despite a damaged wing, the pilot of the other Corsair, (81312), managed to make it back to the Quonset Naval Air Station.

Both planes were assigned to VBF-82.

The dead were identified as Mrs. Eva Parenteau, 30, and her son Raymond. Mrs. Parenteau’s other two children, Phillip, 9, and Joseph, 8, were playing in a nearby yard at the time and weren’t injured.

Sources:

Evening Bulletin, “Two Navy Planes Collide In Mid-Air-Over Coventry”, April 24, 1946, pg. 7.

Woonsocket Call, “Mother, Baby Killed, Plane Crash Probed”, April 25, 1946, Pg. 1