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Look Back: Airport scene of tragedy, travel

Historical newspaper excerpts from the Wood County Historical Society

Photo provided by Artcraft Studio In March of 1945 an Army training aircraft crashed near the Wood County Airport, resulting in the death of seven Army and Navy servicemen.

Army trainer from Florida rams ravine

Like a falling meteor hurling through the skies, an Army advanced training plane, bearing at least seven army and navy service men to their death, when it plunged into a ravine at the Wood County Airport yesterday afternoon.

The twin motored monoplane, which was reported as having cleared Eglin Field, at Valparaiso, Fla., earlier in the day, was enroute to Louisville, Ky., on a routine flight.

The plane, with both motors dead, and losing altitude fast, apparently tried for a landing on the No. 3 airstrip which is still under construction, but burst into flames as it plowed its way through the tops of high trees located near the end of the runway.

Air Force intelligence and medical officers who arrived on the scene early this morning gave their first attention to identifying the crash victims.

Air force officials at the Lockbourne Air Base were baffled by the fact that only seven bodies were found after it was learned that the plane had left Valparaiso with a load list of eight men aboard. It was feared that an eighth man might have parachuted from the plane at a low altitude over the woods in the vicinity of the airport.

The Parkersburg Sentinel

March 15, 1945

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Two P-47s forced to land at county airport

Two of a group of P-47 Thunderbolts, which were flying over Parkersburg from Dover, Del., to a surplus property depot at Independence, Kan., were forced to make a landing at Parkersburg’s city-county airfield on Williamstown Pike, it was revealed last night by Richard “Dick” Life, manager of the airfield.

The two “war-weary” ships were piloted by Lt. John Kozey and Lt. Bob Shick, Life said.

Life said the pilots told him they “were sure glad to see a field” when trouble developed in the oil system of Lt. Kozey’s plane. Lt. Kozey told Life that he was considering “bailing out” when he saw the white runways.

The Parkersburg News

Jan. 15, 1946

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Local airfields report ‘record’ holiday traffic

The small family airplane is quickly coming to the front as one of the top modes of transportation for Fourth of July travelers.

Representatives of Stewart Airport and Wood County Airport reported a record number of small aircraft making landings at the airports to refuel. “All day Saturday small aircraft vacationists landed here on a leg of their Fourth of July trip,” said Wayde Stewart, owner of the Stewart Airport. “Many of them reported highways to be jammed with automobile traffic and considered themselves fortunate to be traveling by air,” he said.

One family traveling in a small airplane that landed at Stewart Airport, considered it safer to fly during the Fourth of July holiday and said they would have stayed at home if their New York trip had to be made by automobile on dangerous highways.

The Parkersburg News

July 3, 1950

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The Wood County Historical Society works to preserve yesterday for tomorrow. For more information, contact P.O. Box 565, Parkersburg, WV 26102

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