January 26, 1956 A Beechcraft owned by the Cities Service Oil Company (currently CITGO) crashed and burned at approximately 1630 hours. Crews had difficulty getting equipment to the site due to the terrain and snow. Portable extinguishers were all that could be brought to the crash site so the fire had to burn itself out. The crash occurred in an area of the woods approximately a mile north of 25 and directly north of the clubhouse. The US Army dispatched aircraft to the area. Smithtown News 1-26-1956
Some history on the site: The Wyandanch Club is now Caleb Smith State Park. The club was originally the home of Caleb Smith the 1st. He lived from 1724-1800. The center section of the building, which is still there, dates back to the early 1750’s. After purchsaing the house in 1888, the Wyandanch Club enlarged the structure to what it is today in order to render it more suitable as a clubhouse for their 600 acre hunting and fishing retreat. The site has been owned by NYS since 1963. The building currently houses the Caleb Smith State Park Preserve Nature Museum.
Top image-NY Times January 27, 1956-Page 48.
Huge thanks to Michael Wichtendahl for finding and sharing the accident investigation report below.
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