A combination of engine trouble and pilot error caused a plane crash in Biddeford last year that killed a North Yarmouth man and destroyed a house, according to a report by the National Transportation Safety Board.
Edward L’Hommedieu, 71, who was flying alone in a twin-engine Cessna, failed to maintain sufficient airspeed as he made his final descent to Biddeford Municipal Airport, says the report released Thursday.
L’Hommedieu died when the plane crashed into a house near the airport on April 10, 2011. The crash happened during the daytime and weather was not a factor, officials have said.
L’Hommedieu partially lost power in his plane’s right engine during a return flight from White Plains, N.Y., to Maine. Power was lost because O-rings in the engine throttle and control assembly were not properly installed, the report says. It does not say who was responsible for the improper installation.
Without full power, the plane’s speed was only 69 knots during its descent, the report says, well below the “minimum multi-engine approach” speed of 95 knots.
L’Hommedieu was scheduled to pick up a passenger in Biddeford and continue on to another destination, Maine Department of Public Safety spokesman Stephen McCausland said last year.
The plane, built in 1977, was registered to a Nantucket company, My Plane LLC, but had been based at the Portland International Jetport, said the manager of Nantucket Memorial Airport.
The pilot was in regular contact with air traffic controllers during the flight, and his plane appeared on the radar screens of air traffic controllers in Portland, airport director Paul Bradbury said at the time.
The owners of the house that was hit, Kim and Steve Myers, were not at home when the plane crashed.
Staff Writer Eric Russell can be contacted at 791-6344 or at:
erussell@mainetoday.com
Twitter: @PPHEricRussell
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