Winston-Salem history hit. Before it crashed after a midair collision over Hendersonville, NC, on July 19, 1967, the first passenger jet operated by Piedmont Airlines had an unusual accident on the ground in May 1967.

The airline had recently started jet service from their base at Smith Reynolds Airport. However, their hangar was located on the other side of North Liberty Street. The jets were towed to and fro, and vehicle traffic was stopped by a traffic signal and flagmen.

On the night of Wednesday, May 24, 1967, at 11:45 p.m., a Boeing 727 was being towed across the street. It had the roadway completed blocked. The stoplight was red on either side of the crossing, along with two flagmen, each holding a warning light and a stop sign.

Driving toward them in a 1965 Corvair was Ruth Pruitt, 41. She appeared to be looking to the right, witnesses later recounted, as she struck the aircraft, travelled under its belly, and collided with a utility pole several yards away.

The top of her car was flattened and Pruitt suffered facial lacerations. She underwent surgery the next morning at Baptist Hospital.

Damage to the plane was estimated at $25,000. Named the Manhattan Pacemaker, it was the first of two jets newly operated by the airline.

However, the Boeing 727 ended its service less than two months later, when it collided in midair with a small plane over Hendersonville, NC. Read that story in our prior posting.

Source: Twin City Sentinel, May 25, 1967