A Sonex, a two-seat homebuilt kit plane crashed into a lake at Greenbriar Dog Park a mile from Wellington Aero Club, killing the one person aboard the plane. The pilot, Leonard “Link” McGarity had been practicing “touch and goes” The accident occurred on Feb 17 in the morning. By 12:55 rescue crews were on the scene but unable to assist as the pilot died at the scene. McGarity was a longtime professional pilot who flew for American Airlines and Marine helicopters, and had a residence at Wellington Aero Club.
Prior to the crash, witnesses heard the plane sputter.
The Wellington Aero Club is a community built around a runway. A neighbor who is a seasoned aviator was quoted saying of McGarity, “If this happened to him, it’s something wrong with the plane, not him. He knew what he was doing.”