Putnam, Connecticut – September 20, 1945
On September 20, 1945, a U. S. Navy SNJ-4 aircraft, (Bu. No. 51393), with a lone pilot aboard, left Utica, New York, bound for the Quonset Point Naval Air Station in Rhode Island. When the pilot was about ten miles from Quonset he encountered a thick mass of low lying clouds and tried to turn out of it, but got confused and was unable. He then climbed to get above the overcast and broke through at 4,000 feet. He tried to radio his situation, and discovered his radio wasn’t working. He then flew around hoping to find a break in the clouds but didn’t find one. When his airplane ran low on fuel he was forced to bail out. He landed safely with minor injuries. Meanwhile his plane had gone down in a wooded area of Putnam and was demolished.
Source:
U. S. Navy Accident report dated September 20, 1945