Westport, Massachusetts – December 18, 1944
On December 18, 1944, a navy aircraft with three men aboard took off from Otis Field in Falmouth, Massachusetts, bound for Quonset Point Naval Air Station in Rhode Island. After becoming airborne, ice began forming on the fuselage and the plane began loosing altitude. The pilot knew he had to reduce the weight of the aircraft so he ordered the two crewmen to bail out.
The men jumped and landed safely at Horseneck Beach in Westport. Upon landing, both men made their way to a farm house and were driven to Otis Field.
Meanwhile, the airplane, with its weight reduced, made it safely to Quonset Point.
The type of aircraft wasn’t specified in the newspaper.
Source:
Providence Journal, “Two Fliers bail Out Enabling Ice-Coated Navy Plane To Land”, December 19, 1944.
