NEW SALEM — Crews convened at the Joseph P. O’Loughlin Pond on Sunday to recover a small plane that had crashed into the water on Friday night.
Petersham resident Jason Scott, who described himself as a family friend of the plane’s pilot, New Salem resident Jeff Lett, said his friend was experiencing engine trouble and was attempting to return to the Orange Municipal Airport at the time of the crash, which was called in by a witness at 7:40 p.m. on Friday. The Joseph P. O’Loughlin Pond, where the plane crashed, lies within the Quabbin watershed between Route 122 and the main reservoir, and is separated by a regulating dam.
New Salem Fire Chief Matt O’Donnell said in a statement on Friday that when firefighters responded to the reported crash, they confirmed there was an adult man in the water near Fishing Area 2 off of Route 122 on Regulating Dam Road. Firefighters maintained voice and visual contact with the man, who was identified as the plane’s pilot.
The first responding state trooper was equipped with a personal flotation device and a tether line. The trooper was able to rescue the pilot, who was taken back to shore and transported by an Orange Fire Department ambulance to the Orange Municipal Airport. From there, he was airlifted to UMass Memorial Medical Center in Worcester.
According to Scott, Lett is recovering from facial injuries. He was the sole occupant.
The Federal Aviation Administration’s Aircraft Inquiry database confirms that the plane, with tail number N8618H, is registered to Jefferson Lett of New Salem.
Divers with AMF Aviation LLC’s aircraft recovery team out of Springfield, Tennessee, use Department of Conservation and Recreation boats to secure a harness on a small plane that crashed into the Joseph P. O’Loughlin Pond, located between Route 122 in New Salem and the Quabbin Reservoir. 
On Sunday, AMF Aviation LLC’s aircraft recovery team out of Springfield, Tennessee, prepares a helicopter with a tether to retrieve a small plane out of the Joseph P. O’Loughlin Pond, located between Route 122 in New Salem and the Quabbin Reservoir. 
A small plane emerges from the Joseph P. O’Loughlin Pond, which directly feeds into the Quabbin Reservoir, on Sunday afternoon in New Salem. 
A small plane emerges from the Joseph P. O’Loughlin Pond, which directly feeds into the Quabbin Reservoir in New Salem, on Sunday afternoon. 
A helicopter hoists a small plane out of the Joseph P. O’Loughlin Pond, located between Route 122 in New Salem and the Quabbin Reservoir, on Sunday afternoon. 
The Federal Aviation Administration begins its investigation into a plane crash in New Salem on Sunday afternoon at the Gate 31 fishing area parking lot. 
The Federal Aviation Administration begins its investigation into a plane crash in New Salem on Sunday afternoon at the Gate 31 fishing area parking lot.
To remove the plane on Sunday, Springfield, Tennessee-based AMF Aviation LLC’s aircraft recovery team attached a harness to the submerged 1947 Navion single-engine, four-seat aircraft that was manufactured by North American Aviation. A helicopter was then used to hoist the aircraft out of the water and carry it a short distance to the parking lot at Gate 31, where representatives of the FAA were on hand.
O’Donnell said on Sunday that there haven’t been any reports of fuel sheen on the surface of the pond, which feeds directly into the Quabbin over the regulating dam. The Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR) supplied the recovery crews with boats to use to reduce the chance of water supply contamination.
The Massachusetts Water Resource Authority confirmed on Sunday that no fuel from the plane was spilled during the removal process and no sheen has been observed on the water. Water quality sampling was also completed and showed no contamination downstream or within the Joseph P. O’Loughlin Pond.
On Monday afternoon, National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) spokesperson Peter Knudson confirmed that the organization is investigating Friday’s crash, which came “after a loss of engine power.” The NTSB confirmed that the flight originated at the Orange Municipal Airport.
“NTSB investigations involve three primary areas: the pilot, the aircraft and the operating environment,” Knudson wrote in an email. “As part of this process, investigators will gather the following information and records: flight track data; recordings of any air traffic control communications; aircraft maintenance records; [and the] pilot’s license, ratings and recency of flight experience. Witnesses to the accident or those who have surveillance video or other information that could be relevant to the investigation are asked to contact the NTSB at witness@ntsb.gov.”
A preliminary report that contains information gathered during the initial phase of the investigation is expected within 30 days, according to the NTSB. A probable cause of the crash, along with any contributing factors, will be detailed in the final report, which is expected in 12 to 24 months.
This is not the first time there’s been a crash into the Quabbin Reservoir watershed. According to the National Transportation Safety Board’s database, the pilot of a Cessna was killed and the passenger was severely injured after crashing into the reservoir in December 1997. Additional crashes occurred in 1983, 1977 and 1969, none of which involved fatalities.
Erin-Leigh Hoffman contributed to this report.
