Westbrook Connecticut Plane Crash | New England Aviation History

Long Island Sound – May 28, 1967

June 22, 2026

Long Island Sound – May 28, 1967

On the evening of May 29, 1967, a 20-year-old pilot rented a light single-engine plane at Brainard Field in Hartford, Connecticut, so that he could give pleasure flights to friends. While flying over Long Island Sound with a 25-year-old female passenger, the plane crashed five hundred feet from the shore of Westbrook, Ct. The pilot suffered critical injuries and the woman was killed. The plane remained afloat and was towed to shore by a private cabin cruiser.

Evening Bulletin, “Woman Killed In Plane Crash”, May 29, 1967, Pg. 5.

Westbrook, CT – June 27, 1943

September 29, 2015

Westbrook, Connecticut – June 27, 1943

P-47 Thunderbolt – U.S. Air Force Photo

On Sunday, June 27, 1943, a U.S. Army, P-47B (41-5951), piloted by Robert McKeith 19, left Long Island, New York, and was passing over Long Island Sound when the plane caught fire. His aircraft, trailing brown smoke, was seen by aircraft spotting posts in Westbrook and Deep River Connecticut.

As McKeith passed over Westbrook, he aimed his aircraft towards Wrights Pond and away from any populated areas. At this point the smoke and heat became too much and he bailed out and landed safely. The P-47 came down in a wooded area near Wright’s Pond in the Pondmeadow district of Westbrook.

The cause of the fire was not stated.

McKeith was from Rochester, New York. His rank was not stated.

Source:

The New Era, “Pilot Escapes In Sunday Plane Crash”, July 2, 1943, Pg. 1