Smithfield, Rhode Island – April 23, 1939
On April 24, 1939, a 24-year-old pilot from Pawtucket, R. I., took off from the Smithfield Airport in a recently repaired two-seat biplane. After circling the airport, the pilot attempted to land. As he did so the landing gear collapsed and the plane ground-looped, wrecking the upper wing, rudder, and propeller. The pilot received facial cuts, but was not seriously injured. The crash was blamed on a poor welding repair job done by an airport mechanic.
The airplane was owned by the Smithfield Airport Club, an organization of twenty youths interested in aviation.
The Smithfield Airport was located where Bryant University is today.
Source:
The Pawtucket Times, “Pawtucket Pilot Hurt In Crack-up” April 24, 1939, pg.14.