On December 22, 1951, a B-29 Superfortress crashed after the engines failed onto the farm of Crerston E. Sammons off of Beecher Rd. The bomber was on a routine navigational training flight from Minneapolis to its home base at Griffiths Field, N.Y. Pilot 1st Lieutenant Robert Phelps of Andover New Hampshire was killed after getting wrapped in his parachute with his body found near the wreckage. Phelps is credited with steering the crippled aircraft away from residential areas and preventing further loss of life. The Seven other crew members parachuted to safety.