Sterling, Massachusetts – July 5, 1954

     On July 5, 1954, a private four-seat airplane, with two couples aboard, crashed into a pine tree at the end of the runway just after becoming airborne from the Sterling Airport.  Almost immediately the aircraft caught fire.  One of the husbands was able to free himself and smash the rear window thereby allowing his wife to escape as the flames quickly spread.  The other couple, owners of the airplane, perished.    

     Source:

     The Evening Star, (Washington, D. C.), “Two Killed As Man Saves Wife In Plane Crash”, July 5, 1954