Rural Vermont – October 2, 1957

April 15, 2026

Rural Vermont  October 2, 1957   

De Havilland L-20 Beaver
U. S. Army Photo

      On the morning of October 2, 1957, a U. S. Army De Havilland Canada, L-20, Beaver, (Ser. No. 56-4398), with four officers aboard, took off from Governor’s Island, New York, bound for Burlington, Vermont.  During the trip the aircraft encountered bad weather and crashed into a mountain side.  Some sources say it was Lookout Mountain, near Middlebury Vermont.  Another source states it was the east side of Bloodfoot Mountain about seven miles east of Brandon, Vermont.  Still another source states the crash occurred on Lookoff Mountain near Goshen, Vermont. 

     In any case, three of the four men aboard were killed instantly, but a fourth survived for at least three days. 

     When the plane failed to arrive at Burlington, a search was instituted, but the wreckage wasn’t found until ten days later. 

     The dead were identified as:

     Captain Eual A. Cathey, 33, of Oklahoma.  https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/477750/eual-arthur-cathey

     Lt. Colonel Clinton G. Merrill, 44. https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/49260042/clinton-gadeken-merrill

       Colonel David M. Perkins, 51, of Texas.  Col. Perkins survived the initial crash but succumbed to dehydration three days later.   https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/59919319/david-mural-perkins

     Colonel Emery E. Hyde, 47, of Oregon. https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/49210277/emery-erwin-hyde 

     One of the planes involved in the search for this aircraft crashed on Mt. Greylock in Massachusetts.  To learn more – click here. 

     Sources:

     www.findagrave.com

     Aviation Safety Network

     Evening Bulletin, (RI), “Lack Of Water Kills Crash Survivor” October 14, 1957.    

Filed Under: Vermont - Military Tagged With: , , , , , , ,

Burlington, VT. – February 11, 1936

December 13, 2022

Burlington, Vermont – February 11, 1936 

     On February 8, 1936, a fleet of U. S. Army aircraft assigned to the 20th Pursuit Group at Barksdale Airfield in Louisiana, arrived in Burlington to participate in aerial “war games” with army planes from the 3rd Attack Group stationed at Concord, New Hampshire.  In all there were 31 planes which, it was reported, was the largest concentration of aircraft to date at the Burlington Airport.   

     The “war games” were to be conducted over several days to test how the aircraft would react to cold weather, and to hone readiness and response capabilities of the air crews. 

     In one particular exercise, 6 bombers and 9 attack aircraft took off from Concord to conduct and air raid on Burlington.  The aircraft approached the city in groups of three, with each group attacking at five to ten minute intervals.  The raid was successful, but 16 defending aircraft “shot down” the attackers before they could get away, with both sides claiming victory.

     On February 11, three aircraft participating in maneuvers crashed at the Burlington Airport.     

     The first occurred at 6:30 a.m. when a pilot taking off in a Boeing P-26 struck a snow bank and wrecked the aircraft.  The pilot was not seriously injured. 

     The second crash occurred at 8:30 a.m. when a pilot flying a Boeing P-36 came in for a landing and overshot the runway and crashed at high speed into a snowbank.  The pilot was not seriously injured, but the aircraft was wrecked. 

     The third crash occurred later in the day when a pursuit plane taking off in poor visibility failed to gain sufficient altitude and crashed into a snowbank.  The aircraft flipped over onto its back, but the pilot wasn’t seriously injured. 

     The “war games” came to an end on February 15 due to poor weather. 

     Sources:

     Burlington Free Press, “Two Army Planes Here Crack Up In Maneuvers, No Serious Casualties”, February 11, 1936

     Burlington Free Press, No Headline-news snippet, February 12, 1936. 

     Burlington Free Press, “Burlington A Mass Of Ruins”, February 13, 1936, pg. 12.

    Burlington Free Press, “Air Maneuvers Come To End”, February 15, 1936.

   Daily Alaska Empire, “Army Pursuit Planes Crash”, February 11, 1936

Filed Under: Vermont - Military Tagged With: , , , , ,

Londonderry, VT. – February 3, 1975

August 4, 2018

Londonderry, Vermont – February 3, 1975

     On the night of February 3, 1975, two U.S. Air Force F-111A Aircraft, (68-0280, and 69-6505), were passing over the area of Londonderry, Vermont, on a training flight, when they were involved in a mid-air collision.  The two-man crew of both aircraft ejected safely and landed near the Magic Mountain Ski Resort in Londonderry. 

     The accident occurred as the aircraft were getting ready for an in-flight re-fueling operation.   

     Both aircraft were assigned to the 34oth Bomb Group, 380th Bomb, based at Plattsburg, New York. 

     Sources:

     Providence Evening Bulletin, “4 Escape Air Crash”, February 4, 1975, page A6. 

     Aviation Safety Network, Wikibase #152909

Filed Under: Vermont - Military Tagged With: , , , ,

Kirby, VT – February 2, 1989

May 19, 2015

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.

Filed Under: Vermont - Military Tagged With: , , , , , ,
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