The pilot of a SubSonex jet was uninjured after the plane ended up in a lake off the end of a runway at Greenwood Lake Airport in West Milford, New Jersey, on Saturday. The aircraft, owned by Mini Jet Airshows, was at the airport for the New Jersey Air Show, which wraps up today. The accident occurred about 6:30 p.m., which is about an hour after the show began, but it occurred at Green Turtle Lake, which is on a runway heading more than a mile northeast of the airport. Details are scant on the circumstances of the incident but it has been confirmed that pilot Tom Larkin is OK and refused medical treatment.
The airplane was the first SubSonex kit built and it’s in demand for airshows all over the Northeast. Below is a sample of the show:
Best Airshow I’ve seen for years. I think they should Scotchgard the plane if they’re gonna be foolin’ around near water though…
NTSB 830 calls events like this one an incident or accidents.
It’s an accident if Substantial Damage occurs, defined as “.. damage or failure which adversely affects the structural strength, performance, or flight characteristics of the aircraft, and which would normally require major repair or replacement of the affected component.”
Suspect even the best ditching qualifies.
Glad the pilot is okay.
Green Turtle Lake is quite small and I am surprised that that plane stopped before crashing into the lakeshore
How the heck do land this beast into a lake and walk away? Looking forward to hearing how this landing went.
Examining G Map overhead view the lake looks to be the only flat area to the NE of the airport. Glad he’s OK!