First was a Martin 404 that was taking off in a thunderstorm at Rochester, NY. It was in the afternoon and the pilot thought he could take off before an approaching thunderstorm reached the runway he was going to use. He didn't make it. Probably wind shear was the culprit.

The second crash was a BAC 1-11; tail number 16J that was flying near Elmira, NY. A fire started in the tail and burned the tail off. The APU is located in the tail and I remember that a lot of insulation in the tail was soaked in Skydrol because of the hydraulic units that operate the rudder and elevators. When the fire started, the soaked insulation acted as a catalyst and the internal structure of the tail acted like a flue in a chimney. The crew and passengers didn't have a chance. After that crash, the tails were modified so that there were no straight passages in the tail that air could blow through. Also, soaked insulation had to be removed from around the APU.

The third crash was an FH 227B that crashed into a hill or mountain around Glen Falls, NY. I am not sure of the exact cause but I think the pilot might have become disoriented and strayed away from the correct heading.

The fourth crash was another FH 227B that lost an engine on its approach to Albany, New York’s airport. The pilot feathered the wrong prop causing the plane to crash. I recall that this plane was parked for a long time on the line side of the hangar at Utica with various problems. In fact, parts were always being removed for other Fairchilds. I think this crash occurred only a couple of days after this aircraft was finally assembled and put into service. I always felt that this long period being out of service might have contributed to the crash. This is just my opinion!

I also recall mechanic Howard Williams taxiing a BAC 1-11 up to the gate and plowing into a fuel truck. He forgot to check his hydraulic pressure and emergency air bottle and couldn't stop the plane. We used to really razz him about it! He got a couple of days off without pay!