''Braintree Airport'' was an airport located in the town of

Braintree, Massachusetts Braintree (), officially the Town of Braintree, is a municipality in Norfolk County, Massachusetts, United States. Although officially known as a towBraintree is a city, with a mayor-council government, mayor-council form of government, and i ...

from 1948 to 1968. The airport was used for

general aviation General aviation (GA) is defined by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) as all civil aviation aircraft operations with the exception of commercial air transport or aerial work, which is defined as specialized aviation services ...

purposes until encroaching residential development forced its closure.Markman, Joseph (September 20, 2011) "Braintree's Expansion and Dangerous Flights Proved too Much for Old Airport" ''Braintree Patch''. Retrieved November 4, 201

/ref>Freeman, Paul "Braintree Airport, Braintree, Mass." ''Abandoned & Little-Known Airfields''. Retrieved November 6, 201

/ref>

History and usage

The Braintree Airport was a single dirt landing strip located in Braintree, Massachusetts. The facility was registered with the Massachusetts Aeronautics Commission, originally as a private landing field.Masidlover, Larry (July 25, 1962) "New Braintree Airport Sought by 100 Aviation Enthusiasts" ''The Patriot Ledger'' (Quincy, Mass), page 26 Approval to build the airport was sought by Victor H. Heurlin Jr., a Braintree native and

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

veteran who had been trained to fly while in the military. After his service commitment, he returned to Braintree and stayed in the

Air National Guard The Air National Guard (ANG), also known as the Air Guard, is a federal military reserve force of the United States Air Force, as well as the air militia of each U.S. state, the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, and the ter ...

. Along with other aviation enthusiasts, Heurlin formed the Braintree Airport Association in May 1948 and found a suitable parcel of land, owned by the Braintree Water Commission, near the Great Pond. As the town believed that the presence of an airfield would facilitate economic growth, it agreed to lease the land to the association. Subsequently, the association constructed a runway that, by 1959, had been extended to . The airport's location next to Great Pond, the primary source of drinking water for Braintree and several surrounding communities, proved to be problematic. In order to avoid contamination, the commission prohibited the construction of hangars or fueling facilities, restrictions that greatly limited the airport's use. Despite that, Civil Defense officials used the airport as a staging area for nuclear

radiation monitoring Radiation monitoring involves the measurement of radiation dose or radionuclide contamination for reasons related to the assessment or control of exposure to radiation or radioactive substances, and the interpretation of the results. Environment ...

and emergency communications. Flight training was also offered. By the early 1960s, approximately 30 planes were located at the site. In 1962, the airport was certified for commercial use by the Massachusetts Aeronautics Commission. As part of the certification, the airport was required to have an official on duty whenever the airport was open for use.

Accidents

The airport was the scene of several accidents, which contributed to the facility's eventual closure. * 1963. Pilot and passenger uninjured in crash. On December 16, 1963, Jack Foster of

Allston, Massachusetts Allston is an officially recognized neighborhood within the City of Boston, Massachusetts, United States. It was named after the American painter and poet Washington Allston. It comprises the land covered by the zip code 02134. For the most part ...

, and Paul Micelli of

Randolph, Massachusetts "To Say What One Feels" , pushpin_map = , pushpin_label_position = right , pushpin_label = , pushpin_map_caption = Location in Massachusetts , coordinates = , s ...

, walked away from the crash of their single-engine aircraft about from the airport's runway. Foster, the pilot, claimed that the plane lost power shortly after take-off. The plane flipped when it struck a clump of trees just beyond the runway and landed upside down. Volunteers from the airport righted the plane and towed it back to the runway after the accident. * 1967. Pilot and student pilot injured in crash. On October 14, 1967, two men were treated for lacerations and bruises when their plane crashed on West Street in Braintree shortly after takeoff. Everett Anderson of

Brockton, Massachusetts Brockton is a city in Plymouth County, Massachusetts, Plymouth County, Massachusetts, United States; the population is 105,643 as of the 2020 United States Census. Along with Plymouth, Massachusetts, Plymouth, it is one of the two county seats of ...

, was the aircraft's pilot, and Donald Carvin of

Sharon, Massachusetts Sharon is a New England town in Norfolk County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 18,575 at the 2020 census. Sharon is part of Greater Boston, about southwest of downtown Boston, and is connected to both Boston and Providence by ...

was his student. * 1968. Pilot killed in crash. On August 24, 1968 Wilfred Bleakley of

Milton, Massachusetts Milton is a town in Norfolk County, Massachusetts, United States and an affluent suburb of Boston. The population was 28,630 at the 2020 census. Milton is the birthplace of former U.S. President George H. W. Bush, and architect Buckminster Fuller. ...

, was killed when his single-engine plane crashed on Pond Road, not far from the airport. Eyewitnesses claimed that the pilot may have misjudged his approach to the airport and, as a result, collided with trees on the side of the road. After shearing off several tree limbs, the plane crashed onto the street and was consumed by fire.

Closure and aftermath

By 1964, association members had spent over $75,000 to lengthen the runway to and provide other upgrades to the site, including the construction of an operations building. Notwithstanding, the town started the first of what eventually became several attempts to permanently close the facility. Faced with an order to leave the site, pilots were forced to move their planes to neighboring airports on Boston's South Shore. For several months, only civil defense officials were allowed to fly from Braintree. In 1965, the town reversed course and once again allowed the association to use the airport while the water commission evaluated plans to enlarge Great Pond.Collins, James J. (June 27, 1965) "Airport May Reopen Soon" ''The Boston Globe'', page 40 Efforts to close the airport accelerated after a fatal 1968 accident that resulted in local residents petitioning the town government for the airport's closure. In 1968, the water commission terminated the airport's lease and directed the removal of all planes and property. , the areas of Great Pond surrounding the former airport grounds are closed to the public.

References

External links

*Abandoned and Little Known Airfield

{{MA Airport Defunct airports in Massachusetts Airports in Norfolk County, Massachusetts Buildings and structures in Braintree, Massachusetts History of Braintree, Massachusetts