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Sam Buchanan said:
This is the only report I've seen of this fatal accident on 6/17/24, no doubt more info will be available soon which will verify this early report.

https://www.foxnews.com/us/pilot-dead-after-plane-crashes-river-remote-location-area-officials
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This was just on the national news. The link I found implies that this happened shortly after takeoff.

www.nbcboston.com

Pilot believed dead after small plane crashes into Merrimack River in Methuen

A pilot is believed dead after a small plane crashed into the Merrimack River in Methuen, Massachusetts, on Monday afternoon, fire officials said. The Federal Aviation Administration confirmed in an email that a single-engine Van’s RV-6A plane crashed into the river around 2:15 p.m. Monday. Only...
www.nbcboston.com www.nbcboston.com
 
Registered to Littleton address which is close to Lawrence. Registered owner was builder. Airworthiness Nov 2017. 0 360 Lycoming.
 
The pilot is a member of our EAA Chapter 106 in Lawrence. None of the Chapter leadership has any information about his flight today, if anyone else was on board etc. We've reached out to EAA Corporate for guidance on how best to communicate with the public. We don't know if next of kin was notified or not at this point (8:30pm June 17). Our sincerest condolences to the bereaved.

whdh.com

Pilot believed to be dead after small plane crashes into Merrimack River in Methuen - Boston News, Weather, Sports | WHDH 7News

METHUEN, MASS. (WHDH) - First responders believe the pilot of a small plane is dead after the aircraft crashed into the Merrimack River in Methuen<a class="excerpt-read-more" href="https://whdh.com/news/pilot-believed-to-be-dead-after-small-plane-crashes-into-merrimack-river-in-methuen/">Read...
whdh.com whdh.com
 
N733JJ said:
registered to [redacted]. Don’t know him but this is sad.
Flight Aware data does not show any clues.
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Generally not a good idea to post a name, in case next of kin haven't been notified yet.

Looknig forward to more details on this. There's a lot of water around my home airport, surviving a ditching is always on my mind.
 
You might survive the ditching but getting out of a Vans while your upside down in the water could be next to impossible. And more so if its a tip up.
 
Snowflake said:
Generally not a good idea to post a name, in case next of kin haven't been notified yet.

Looknig forward to more details on this. There's a lot of water around my home airport, surviving a ditching is always on my mind.
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I agree that media should not announce names prior to informing next of kin and would not normally do it here.
However the posting of the Flight Aware track had already done just that. The registration is prominent and a click or two reveals the registered owner. If a friend or relative happens to be browsing this site and read the thread, they likely know the registration number on the plane and don’t need to search. We should probably not publish any info that could easily define the plane and owner or pilot. Even the title “RV-6A down in the Merrimack” will raise the curiosity of those that live close by and know many RVs.

We had a fatal accident at our airport a year and a half ago. We were able to control the ground but the news stations had air superiority and were broadcasting before the evening news. The registration was clearly visible, due to rescue efforts we hadn’t covered it. if my wife were at her daughters at the time with the news on and it was my plane…I hate to think of someone learning that way.
scott A Jordan
N733JJ
 
N733JJ said:
However the posting of the Flight Aware track had already done just that.
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Irrelevant. Just because someone else made it "possible" to identify, we shouldn't be positively identifying here. Moderators, feel free to step in here.

As you say, you have to click around, and know where to click around, to find it. Casual readers won't bother. Most family members won't know how to find that stuff, even through a Flightaware link. Reporters who are slightly in-the-know will come to VAF because we always discuss accidents within hours of them happening... We're pretty good at not speculating on cause, at least.
 
riobison said:
You might survive the ditching but getting out of a Vans while your upside down in the water could be next to impossible. And more so if its a tip up.
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I'm banking on it being a matter of waiting for the cabin to fill before trying to open the canopy. Keeping a calm demeanour, doing some deep breaths as the water rises, then hold air, push the canopy, blow some bubbles, and follow them.

I actually think a tip-up would be *easier* to open, even if the frame gets tweaked a bit. If you can unlatch it before ditching, it might even depart when you hit. If the frame tweaks on a slider, it might not move even if you stay upright.
 
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