Warwick, Rhode Island – November 17, 1951

 

     On November 17, 1951, an F4U-4 Corsair, (Bu. No. 81868), took off from runway 34 at T. F. Greene Airport.  Immediately after take off, while at an altitude of 150 feet, the engine began to misfire.  The pilot radioed the tower that he had an emergency and was going to try to make an emergency landing on runway 5.   As he was maneuvering into position the engine lost all power while the aircraft was 80 feet in the air.  The plane landed 2,000 feet down the runway and rolled 900 feet before the right-side landing gear collapsed and the aircraft ground-looped off the runway and nosed over.   The pilot was not injured. 

     Source: U. S. Navy accident report dated November 17, 1951.