Lavender Alan P SONEX accident near Methuen, MA
On February 28, 2017, a Lavender Alan P SONEX (airplane) was involved in an accident near Methuen, MA. 1 person died. Damage to the aircraft: substantial.
- Date
- February 28, 2017
- Place
- Methuen, MA
- Aircraft
- Lavender Alan P SONEX · Airplane
- Injuries
- 1 fatal, 0 serious, 0 minor
- Damage
- Substantial
- Position
- 42.723°N, 71.136°W
- NTSB ID
- 20170228X40721
Official records · ERA17FA117
- Public docket: reports, statements and exhibits from the investigation
Air traffic control records
- 911 Audio File - Eyewitness Account #1: Audio recording (WAV), on ntsb.gov
- 911 Audio File - Eyewitness Account #2: Audio recording (WAV), on ntsb.gov
- 911 Audio File - Eyewitness Account #3: Audio recording (WAV), on ntsb.gov
NTSB summary
HISTORY OF FLIGHTOn February 28, 2017, about 1302 eastern standard time, an experimental, amateur-built Sonex, N315AL, was substantially damaged when it collided with a building in Methuen, Massachusetts, during final approach for landing at Lawrence Municipal Airport (LWM), Lawrence, Massachusetts. The sport pilot was fatally injured. The airplane was owned by the pilot who was operating it under the provisions of Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed near the accident site at the time of the accident, and no flight plan was filed for the local personal flight. An acquaintance of the pilot reported that the pilot had experienced fuel leaks in the cockpit due to a cross-threaded connector. He stated that the pilot spent most of his time doing maintenance inside the cockpit. In an e-mail sent to his Experimental Aviation Association (EAA) chapter on February 25, the pilot reported that the last time he flew the airplane was on October 8, 2016. He had removed and reinstalled the fuel tank twice due to a cross-threaded outlet fitting that was causing a fuel leak at the fuel outlet connection near the fuel shutoff valve in the cockpit. He stated that the issue was fixed and that he would fly the following Tuesday (the day of the accident), during which he would remain in the airport traffic pattern and "do a bunch of touch-and-goes to make sure everything is working correctly." On the day of the accident, the pilot purchased 12 gallons of fuel about 1245. The pilot then informed the tower controller that he would be remaining i
Probable cause
The pilot's failure to properly secure oil and fuel line fittings during maintenance, which resulted in an inflight engine fire, and his subsequent loss of control while maneuvering for landing. Contributing to the accident was the pilot's diverted attention due to the inflight fire.
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Browse: Massachusetts
Source: NTSB aviation accident database (US government, public domain). Findings may be preliminary or later revised by the NTSB. Not a complete global record.
