BIDDEFORD — On Wednesday, the Office of Chief Medical Examiner identified Edward F. L’Hommedieu, 71, of Yarmouth, as the pilot who died in the fiery crash on Sunday evening, one-half mile from the Biddeford Municipal Airport.
L’Hommedieu was piloting a twin engine Cessna 402B and was heading to the Biddeford airport, according to his son, when at about 6 p.m., he clipped a tree and landed into the roof of Kim and Steve Myers’ home at 235 Granite Street Extension.
The fuel from the plane caused an explosion that destroyed the home. L’Hommedieu died in the crash, but the homeowners were dining elsewhere at the time, and there were no other injuries.
According to his resume, L’Hommedieu had extensive flying experience.
He was a decorated U.S. Air Force captain who, among other honors, received the Distinguished Flying Cross, the highest honor of that branch of the service.
L’Hommedieu spent 20 years in the military, from 1964-84. He was a master navigator, a flight instructor, and chief of operations and maintenance with the Air Force.
He spent several years in combat, flying B-52s and other aircraft and leading bombing missions in Vietnam.
L’Hommedieu was also a FAA pilot examiner, a co-founder and director of a regional airline, a founder and director of U.S. Aviation Services, which provided service to airlines and aviation companies, and served as an airport manager for two international airfields, in England and Belgium.
“He just loved flying,” said Chris L’Hommedieu, the pilot’s son. “He’d rather be there flying, than anywhere.”
Edward L’Hommedieu grew up on Long Island, N.Y.
“As a kid,” said the son, “he rode his bike around the new John F. Kennedy Airport in New York City before it was built.”
Chris L’Hommedieu said his father had his pilot’s license before he got his driving license.
As a person, said Chris L’Hommedieu, his father was devoted to his family.
His father was also very generous, said the son.
“He would offer to do stuff for others before he did anything for himself,” Chris recalled.
Ron Caruso, a spokesman with the aircraft company Maine Aviation Corp. in Portland, said L’Hommedieu “was a real standup gentleman. An all around nice guy.”
Caruso said he knew Edward L’Hommedieu for a couple of years. His company had hired the pilot for flying assignments on several occasions.
On one occasion the company hired him to fly a plane from France.
“We knew he could do that job,” said Caruso, because of L’Hommedieu’s experience flying planes around the world.
According to various sources, L’Hommedieu’s trip on Sunday started at the Portland International Jetport. He took off from Portland at around 12:30 p.m. He stopped in Nantucket to pick up a passenger, reportedly a member of the Rinfret family, which owns My Planes LLC in Nantucket. The plane was registered to the company.
L’Hommedieu then flew on to White Plains, N.Y. where he dropped off his passenger. Then he headed back to Maine. He was planing to stop in Biddeford to dine with a friend on Sunday night before heading back to Portland, according to sources.
It was on his way to the Biddeford Municipal Airport that L’Hommedieu crashed.
Although the cause of the accident is still under investigation by the National Transportation Safety Board, there is some speculation that one of the twin engines lost power, causing the plane to torque and veer off course.
The NTSB will issue a preliminary report regarding the accident within the next 10 days. It could take a year or more before the board issues the probable cause of the crash.
Edward L’Hommedieu was preceded in death by his wife, Jeanne. He is survived by his son Chris L’Hommedieu, his daughter-in-law Julie, his daughter Heather, his son-in-law Steve (last names withheld by request), and three grandchildren.
A funeral is planned to take place next week in Yarmouth.
— Staff Writer Dina Mendros can be contacted at 282-1535, Ext. 324 or dmendros@journaltribune.com.
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