Mount Mansfield, VT – October 6, 1966

Mount Mansfield, Vermont – October 6, 1966

     On the night of October 7, 1966, a Piper Comanche carrying three Canadian citizens crashed into Mount Mansfield, the state’s highest mountain.  The plane impacted roughly five hundred feet from the summit on the Underhill, Vermont, side.  There were no survivors.

     The dead were identified as, (pilot) David Shefler, 42, Robert Rosen, 46, and Mary Pert, 30. 

     The summit of Mount Mansfield is 4,393 feet above sea level.

     Sources:

     Lewiston Daily Sun, “Find 3 Canadians Dead In Vermont Plane Crash”, October 8, 1966

     New York Times, “Three Canadians Killed In Air Crash In Vermont”, October 8, 1966 

      

 

Springfield, VT – July 26, 1930

Springfield, Vermont – July 26, 1930

     On July 26, 1930, a plane carrying two men left Athol, Massachusetts, bound for Springfield, Vermont.  As the plane was circling to land at the Springfield Airport, (Today known as Hartness State Airport.) it suddenly went into a spin and crashed in a field next to the airport.  Both men were killed.

     The dead were identified as (Pilot) Wayne Tatcher, and his passenger, Dr. Clarence M. Taft, both of Athol, Mass.  

     Source:, New York Times, “Vermont Crash Kills Two”, July 27, 1930

Updated April 12, 2017

     The aircraft involved in this accident was a de Havilland Moth bi-plane, powered by a four-cylinder engine.   It crashed on property owned by Winifred McCann located next to the airport.   According to witnesses, the aircraft had circled over the field at an altitude of about 200 feet before banking into a left turn, where it suddenly went into a spin and crashed.

     The accident was investigated by Inspector Robert Hoyt of the Department of Commerce. 

     Source: Springfield Reporter, “Two Killed When Plane Makes Dive”, July 31, 1930.  Article supplied by Mr. Brian Lindner, Vermont Aviation Historian. 

Mt. Equinox, VT – November 18, 1973

Mt. Equinox, Vermont – November 18, 1973

Town of Manchester

     On November 18, 1973, three Dartmouth College students left Lebanon, New Hampshire, bound for Schenectady, New York, in a single-engine Piper Cherokee.  The aircraft belonged to the Dartmouth Flying Club.   As the plane was passing over the Manchester, Vermont, area it crashed into 3,880 foot Mount Equinox.   All three men were killed in the crash.

     The students were identified as:

     Edwin Estepa, 19, of the Bronx, New York.

     James M. Dougherty, 21, of Feura Bush, New York.

     Charles Alpert, 18, of Westfield, New Jersey. 

     Sources:

     New York Times, “3 Dartmouth Students Die In Vermont Plane Crash” November 19, 1973

     Providence Evening Bulletin, (R.I.),”Dartmouth Students Die In Air Crash”, November 19, 1973, page 14.

 

Kirby, VT – February 2, 1989

Kirby, Vermont – February 2, 1989

    

FB-111 U.S. Air Force Photo

FB-111
U.S. Air Force Photo

     On February 2, 1989, an FB-111 out of Plattsburgh, N.Y., was on a training flight over Vermont, when a problem with one of the fuel tanks forced the crew to bail out.  The pilot, Captain Randall F. Voorhees, 31, of Upper Darby, PA, and his radar navigator, Captain Len J. Esterly Jr., 30, of Reading, PA, parachuted to safety with only minor injuries.

     The aircraft crashed and exploded in a wooded area about a mile off Route 2, in the town of Kirby, Vermont.   

 

 

 

FB-111 U.S. Air Force Photo

FB-111
U.S. Air Force Photo

Source:

(Nashua, New Hampshire newspaper) The Telegraph, Associated Press article by Jill Arabas, “Air Force To Probe Fighter Plane Crash In Vermont”, February 3, 1989, Pg. 6.

West Addison, VT – February 18, 1993

West Addison, Vermont – February 18, 1993

On the ice of Lake Champlain

     On the afternoon of February 18, 1993, a Grumman Tiger aircraft took off from Morrisville-Stowe State Airport in Morristown, Vermont, with a lone pilot aboard, bound for Glens Falls, New York.  At 3:30 p.m. the aircraft crashed on the ice of Lake Champlain, about 3/4 of a mile from shore.  (The time was surmised from the plane’s broken dashboard clock.) The impact broke the plane into numerous pieces which were found scattered at the wreck site. The pilot was killed.

     A fisherman later reported seeing the aircraft circling over Lake Champlain, but never heard a crash.  

    No flight plan had been filed by the pilot, so he wasn’t missed when he failed to arrive at his destination, or when he failed to return to Vermont.  No May Day call had been received.  The plane was equipped with an emergency locator transmitter, however its signal wasn’t received until 2:30 a.m the following morning on February 19th.  The crash site was discovered by accident later that morning when two snowmobilers happened up on it at 10:30 a.m. 

    The cause of the crash was believed to be weather related.

     Source:

     Flying Magazine, I Learned About Flying From That, “Don’t Blame The Engine“, By John T. Quinn, No. 691

            

 

Barre-Montpelier Airport – April 10, 1964

Barre-Montpelier Airport – April 10, 1964

 

    DC-3 Shortly before 1:30 p.m., on April 10, 1964, a Northeast Airlines DC-3, (Flight 373) was taking off from Barre-Montpelier Airport with nineteen people aboard.  The plane had barely left the ground when a sudden strong gust of wind rotated the plane and sent it crashing into a storage hangar, two parked cars, and another aircraft.  Remarkably, there were no reported injuries.

    Although the airliner suffered extensive damage there was no fire, and all aboard were evacuated safely.        

     Source: The Pittsburg Times, “None Injured In Vermont Plane Crash”, April 11, 1964    

St. Johnsbury, VT – September, 1910

St. Johnsbury, Vermont – September, 1910

early biplane

     The newspaper source of this incident gave no specific date of occurrence.  

      Sometime during the month of September, 1910, Chester Karyman was test-flying an airplane belonging to Professor Clarence C. Bonnette over St. Johnsbury.  The aircraft had reportedly reached “a considerable height” when it began to be buffeted by winds.  As Karyman was bringing the plane down to land, he shut the engine off too soon, causing the craft to abruptly drop from the air and smash into the ground.  The plane was badly damaged, but fortunately Karyman escaped with minor injuries.       

     The aircraft involved in this accident was a Curtis-type airplane named Vermont, or Vermont 1, because it was the first to be constructed in the state of Vermont.  It was built by Professor Bonnette the previous winter, and test flights had begun in August, 1910. 

     Sources:

The Barre Daily Times, “Aeroplane Vermont Made Short Flight And Then Bumped The Earth.” September 29, 1910, Pg6

The Barre Daily Times, “Vermont’s First Aeroplane”, August 30, 1910

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