Old Lyme, CT. – May 20, 1983

Old Lyme, Connecticut – May 20, 1983

     At about 1:40 p.m. on the afternoon of May 20, 1983, a 52-year-old Vermont man took off from Mattituck, Long Island, in a Mooney M20K, (N231HT), bound for Lebanon, New Hampshire.  Thick low-lying clouds blanketed Long Island Sound and the Connecticut coast. At some point after its departure from Mattituck, the aircraft suffered a systems failure and the pilot reported that his artificial horizon and autopilot were inoperative, and he was then given a radar vector heading to Norwich, Connecticut.  Shortly afterward, the pilot reported he was rapidly loosing altitude.

     At 2:23 p.m. the aircraft crashed and burned in a wooded area of Old Lyme, not far from the intersection of Mile Creek and Whipporwill roads.  The pilot was killed instantly.

     Sources:

     The Day, (New London, CT.), “One Killed, Three Hurt In Two Plane Crashes”, May 21, 1983, page 1, with photos. (The other crash occurred in North Stonington.  The two accidents were not related.)

     Aviation Safety Network, Wikibase #36590

 

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