What happened
On June 17, 2024, at approximately 14:15 EDT, an experimental, amateur-built Vans RV-6A, registration N715PA, crashed near Methuen, Massachusetts, resulting in 1 fatality.
The flight was being operated under 14 CFR Part 91 for personal use. The pilot had departed from Lawrence Municipal Airport (LWM) runway 23 at approximately 14:11, intending to perform full-stop landings within the airport traffic pattern. After takeoff, the aircraft climbed to 1,650 feet MSL and entered a wide right turn to join the downwind leg for runway 23. After receiving landing clearance, the pilot notified air traffic control of a "problem." Following a brief, distressed transmission, all communication from the aircraft ceased.
Witness accounts provided varying perspectives on the aircraft's final moments. One observer noted the engine was at full throttle before abruptly stopping, observing the aircraft maintain control while turning east at an altitude between 1,500 and 2,000 feet MSL. Another witness reported hearing the engine sputter and quit, followed by a brief restart and a second failure before the aircraft disappeared from view.
A helicopter pilot, who had recently landed at LWM, observed the aircraft in a controlled descent over the Merrimack River and noted it would not be able to return to the airport. The aircraft subsequently came to rest inverted in approximately 3 feet of water. There was no post-impact fire.