Vermont

On final approach to Springfield-Hartness State Airport by night and poor weather conditions, the pilot failed to realize his altitude was too low when the airplane struck the ground and crashed. The aircraft was destroyed and all four occupants were killed.

On final approach, during the last segment, the airplane was unstable and rolled right and left. This caused the right wing to struck the runway surface then the left wing. The aircraft cartwheeled and came to rest. While all four occupants escaped uninjured, the aircraft was damaged beyond repair.

While on an NDB approach to Burlington Airport by night, the pilot descended below the MDA when the twin engine airplane hit tree tops, stalled and crashed in flames in a wooded area located in Winooski, about 1,5 mile short of runway 15. The airplane was destroyed by a post crash fire and all four occupants have been killed.

LTC Mendes of the U.S. 1st Army borrowed the plane, designated as a TU-6A from the Rhode Island Army National Guard on the previous day (Saturday) under the pretence of obtaining additional flight time for his certification. Officially, Mendes’ mission was to deliver a helicopter part to the Vermont Army National Guard. He took off from the Theodore Francis Green airport in Warwick, RI., and flew to Burlington, VT., with two stops en route – contrary to his official flight plan. At Hanscom Field in Bedford, MA., he picked up three persons – all unauthorized civilians. In Laconia, NH., they were joined by another unauthorized civilian. On arrival in Burlington, they stopped overnight. Sunday afternoon, the TU-6A Beaver took off from Burlington in a serious snow squall and shortly after lift-off LTC Mendes radioed that he was experiencing trouble with an aileron. The aircraft subsequently spun into the ground. It appears that no pre flight check was completed and the accident was caused by a build up of ice on the wings. The aircraft is reported as destroyed and the pilot and the four passengers received fatal injuries.
Source: www.dhc-2.com

While cruising under VFR mode in foggy conditions, the crew failed to realize his altitude was insufficient when the airplane struck the slope of a mountain shrouded in clouds and located in the region of Weston. The aircraft was destroyed and all seven occupants have been killed.

The crew was engaged in a training mission out from Westover AFB. En route, while cruising near the Canadian border by night, the aircraft slowly banked to the left without any action from the pilot-in-command who apparently suffered a blackout. The airplane descended with a rate of 2,000 feet per minute when the navigator thinking she was breaking up ejected without direction from the pilot. Eventually, the captain instructed all crew to bail out as well and the airplane crashed and burned in an open field located near Plainfield, making a crater 350' long, 30' deep and 30' wide. Eight occupants were found alive while the body of the navigator was found seven months later.

The single engine aircraft left Governors Island, New York, in the morning, bound for Burlington, Vermont. After passing over the Hudson River, the crew encountered poor weather conditions. Off course, the plane hit trees and crashed on the east side of the Bloodfoot mountain, about 7 miles east of Brandon. As the aircraft failed to arrive at Burlington, SAR operations were conducted but the wreckage was found ten days later only. The aircraft was destroyed and all four occupants have been killed. It was reported that one of the occupant survived the crash but died from his injuries three days later.
Crew:
Cpt Eual Cathey.
Passengers:
Col David M. Perkins,
Col Emery Hyde,
Lt Col Clinton Merrill.

The flight departed Montreal at 1112LT and was cleared to Burlington by the Civil Aeronautics Air Route Traffic Control to proceed In accordance with visual flight rules. A message was received from the aircraft, by the Colonial radio at Burlington, indicating that it was over the Grand Isle Fan Marker, approximately 25 miles northwest of Burlington at 1135. Colonial radio acknowledged the report and transmitted the latest local weather ceiling 800 feet, visibility 1 mile in heavy rain. This report was acknowledged. Nearing the airport, light rain was encountered. The flight asked Burlington Tower for its existing traffic, and being in the approach control area, farther asked permission to make an approach from its present position. After checking with Boston Air Route Traffic Control establishing that no traffic was in the area, the aircraft was cleared to approach VFR. The windshield wipers were turned on and simultaneously wit passing over the range station at an altitude of approximately 700 feet and sighting the airport, the tower called and stated that it had the ship in sight and that the flight was cleared to land. Flight 3 previously had been informed that the surface wind was west, variable to northwest, 5 mph, and due to a heavy rain occurring east of the airport the pilot elected to use Runway 1. The aircraft headed southwest in order to widen the pattern and establish a downwind leg at a suitable distance from the runway. During the turn to final approach the flaps and landing gear were extended, and descent was made toward the airport aligned with Runway 01. The aircraft landed long and was unable to stop within the remaining runway, overran and came to rest in trees. All 17 occupants escaped slightly injured while the aircraft was damaged beyond repair.

The flight had originated the previous morning when the plane took off from Davis-Monthan Air Force Base in Tucson, Arizona, for a navigational training mission to the east coast. The plane was scheduled to land at Andrews Field (Later known as Andrews Air Force Base) in Washington, D.C., but due to bad weather was diverted to Pittsburgh Airport where it arrived at 1507LT. After refueling, the aircraft proceeded towards Hanscom Air Force Base in Bedford, Massachusetts, where it was to remain overnight before flying back to Arizona the following day. However, the weather grew worse, and with poor visibility and darkness falling the crew became lost, ending up over Vermont instead of Massachusetts. Shortly after midnight on June 15, the bomber crashed into the southeast side of Hawks Mountain and exploded. All twelve men aboard were killed, and to this day the incident remains the worst aviation accident to ever occur in Vermont.
Crew:
1st Lt Robert G. Fessler, pilot,
2nd Lt Wilfred E. Gassett, copilot,
2nd Lt Ceasare P. Fontana, observer,
M/Sgt D. D. Jack, crew chief,
T/Sgt Paul H. Fetterhoff,
T/Sgt Clayton K. Knight,
S/Sgt Oliver W. Hartwell,
S/Sgt Sylvester S. Machalac,
S/Sgt John J. O’Toole,
Cpl Harry C. Humphrey,
Cpl Robert Clark,
Pfc Robert M. Stewart.
Source:
http://www.newenglandaviationhistory.com/tag/b-29-44-62228/

En route, the four-engine aircraft hit the slope of the 4,083 foot Mt Camels Hump located east of Huntington. Nine crew members were killed, among them Pfc Casper Zacher. The only survivor was the air gunner James W. Wilson. The exact circumstances of the accident remains unknown.