Methuen, Massachusetts – May 9, 1973
On May 9, 1973, a Beechcraft Bonanza with four people aboard left Pontiac, Michigan, bound for Lawrence Airport in North Andover, Massachusetts. As the aircraft was passing over Methuen, a town just to the northwest of North Andover, it developed engine trouble.
One witness stated he saw the plane from his front yard on Farley Street. He looked up when he heard the engine not running right, and observed the plane go back up into the clouds, but just as it did the engine ceased, and the plane came spiraling down.
The plane crashed and exploded in the backyard of a combination private home and drive-in diner at 374 Merrimack Street, not far from the intersection of Merrimack Street and Route 113. All four persons aboard were killed.
Sources:
Lawrence Eagle-Tribune, “Methuen Plane Crash Kills 4”, May 10, 1973, page 1 (photos of crash scene)
Lawrence Eagle-Tribune, “Two Of Crash Victims Had Andover Ties”, May 10, 1973, page 1
Providence Journal, “4 Men Identified In Plane Crash At Mass. Airport.”, May 11, 1973