Two Planes Involved in Separate Incidents at Norwood Airport-October 15, 1985

Norwood Airport experienced a remarkably turbulent afternoon yesterday as emergency crews responded to two completely separate aircraft accidents within a span of less than four hours—remarkably resulting in no serious injuries.

Classic Biplane Crashes in Dense Woods After Takeoff

The first and more severe accident occurred at approximately 1:30 p.m., when a single-engine, fabric-covered 1942 Waco biplane lost power shortly after takeoff and plunged into dense woods about 150 yards north of the airport’s main runway.

The green-and-silver classic biplane, featuring an open cockpit and valued between $40,000 and $50,000, was piloted by Frederic Snyderman (48) of 6 Franklin Road, Sharon, accompanied by passenger John Poland (40) of 2131 Bay Road. Both men were described as expert pilots.

Witness Thomas Haley of Bradford Road, Norwood, watched the plane make touch-and-go practice landings prior to the final takeoff. “The last time they took off, I saw them going into the trees,” Haley recounted. “It went in with the wings level. It was a textbook crash landing. He did it right.”

The biplane came to rest nose-down in thick 6-foot brush near Purgatory Brook, sustaining damage to its wings. Snyderman and Poland told firefighters the engine suffered a sudden loss of power.

Locating the wreckage proved challenging for rescuers. Fire Captain Paul Narbut noted that due to the heavy brush, responders could not immediately spot the aircraft and had to deploy a helicopter to pinpoint the location. The uninjured pilot and passenger walked out of the woods to the edge of Purgatory Brook, where firefighters assisted them across using a ladder. Both men were treated at Norwood Hospital and released with minor cuts and bruises. Airport Manager Thomas J. Maher noted that officials faced a difficult logistical challenge figuring out how to extract the wreckage from the dense swampy brush.

Amphibian Plane Skids Along Runway After Gear Oversight

Less than four hours later, at just past 5:00 p.m., a second aviation incident unfolded on the runway.

Pilot Harry Fraser (58) of Norwood was practicing landings alone in a 1980 Lake single-engine amphibian plane—a four-seat aircraft capable of landing on land or water. In his haste, Fraser forgot to lower the landing gear, causing the craft to skid smoothly along the tarmac on its hull before coming to a safe stop.

Fraser took full responsibility for the mishap with refreshing candor: “Put it down as stupidity. I could say it was a malfunction, that I was trying to get the landing gear till the last second, but I just forgot.”

Fraser emerged completely unhurt. The $43,000 amphibian aircraft suffered virtually no visible damage from the belly landing. An air traffic controller in the Norwood tower confirmed that radio communications prior to the incident contained no mention of engine trouble.

Archival Note: This article has been dynamically reconstructed from the original public record print archives of the Patriot Ledger