Templeton, Massachusetts – January 11, 1979
On January 11, 1979, a Piper PA-31, (#N33TN), with three people aboard, left Concord Municipal Airport in Concord, Mass., bound for Westchester County, New York. Meanwhile, an Aerostar 600 corporate jet, (#N80225), with a pilot and one passenger aboard, was passing over Massachusetts bound for Syracuse, New York. Despite what an investigator for the Massachusetts Aeronautics Commission described as “super clear” weather, the two aircraft were involved in a mid-air collision over the town of Templeton.
One plane crashed into a wooded hillside about a half-mile from Gardner Airport. The other went down in a frozen swamp. All person’s aboard both aircraft perished.
Investigators speculated that despite the clear weather, the pilots of both aircraft had failed to see each other.
Sources:
Providence Evening Bulletin, “Weather Clear At Time Of Crash”, January 11, 1979, Page A-8
Providence Journal Bulletin, “Try Made To Recover Crashed Plane”, January 13, 1979, Page 3
Aviation Safety Network, Wikibase #3147, and #13600
