Community Spotlight for Nov. 1-8, 2026

Flight 44-2 Crash Exhibit Opens in Jamestown
November 4th, 2026 11:36am | Duration: 14:20
Community Spotlight for Nov. 1-8, 2026
Community Spotlight (Chautauqua)
Community Spotlight for Nov. 1-8, 2026
Flight 44-2 Crash Exhibit Opens in Jamestown
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This week... our Terry Frank had no in-studio guest... but, he airs portions of the program to kick-off the opening of the "Flight 44-2 Crash" exhibit at the Lucile M. Wright Air Museum in the Hotel Jamestown Building in Jamestown. Retired WJTN Morning Man Dennis Webster, who is now curator for the museum, introduced the program, and noted the appearance broadcaster and journalist, Tim Lake, who wrote the book, "Hang on and Fly." Lake's book tells the full story from people who were involved in that flight on Dec. 29, 1951, and also the crash and recovery effort. The crash was one of the first major ones to occur as commercial aviation was born in the United States... often using former planes used in World War II. Lake says he and a relative were on a trip to check on some geneology several years ago... when he happened upon the story of the crash on Bucktooth Ridge in the Cattaraugus County town of Napoli. There were 26 people killed in that crash... and, 14 others were hurt. Lake says the crash produced the theory that the safest place to be in a plane that crashes is at the back of the plane. He says everyone who survived was in or towards the back of the plane. It also laided the groundwork for how plane crashes are investigated in the U.S.

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