Staff Writer

 The North Yarmouth man killed when his plane crashed in Biddeford was an experienced pilot known for telling stories of his adventures in the air.

Edward L’Hommedieu, 71, died April 10 when his plane crashed into the Granite Street Extension home owned by Steve and Kim Myers. The plane and home were destroyed by the impact and resulting fire.

L’Hommedieu was flying to Biddeford from White Plains, N.Y., when the Cessna 402 crashed around 6:05 p.m. Federal aviation officials continue to investigate the cause of the crash. The National Safety Transportation Board is expected to release a preliminary report this week. The full investigation could last more than a year.

David King, an investigator with the medical examiner’s office, said L’Hommedieu was identified using DNA. The cause of death remains under investigation pending additional tests.

E. Chris L’Hommedieu said his father was “gentle, driven and full of unbelievable stories.” He said his father was returning from Maine after doing a charter flight for a family from Nantucket. On a whim, Edward L’Hommedieu decided to call a friend to meet up for dinner and that is why he was stopping in Biddeford on his way to Portland, he said.

After hearing eyewitness accounts of the minutes leading up to the crash, “it seems like one of the engines might have clipped out,” Chris L’Hommedieu said.

He said this would not have been as much of a problem if his father had been flying at a higher altitude, but it was “too late” to correct the problem because he was approaching Biddeford Municipal Airport. 

Edward L’Hommedieu grew up on Long Island, N.Y., where he rode his bicycle in the area that would later become John F. Kennedy International Airport. He had a lifelong passion for flying, according to his son.

 “He had a license to fly before he had a license to drive,” Chris L’Hommedieu said. “He just loved flying.”

Edward L’Hommedieu joined the Air Force in 1964. In 1972 he was lead bombardier in a massive air strike and was awarded a Distinguished Flying Cross.

“Despite intensive electronic jamming he was able to accomplish a synchronous bomb run, delivering the weapons on the assigned target. The commanding heroism and selfless devotion to duty displayed by Capt. L’Hommedieu reflect great credit upon himself and the United States Air Force,” reads the citation accompanying the Distinguished Flying Cross.

He served 20 years in the Air Force and earned 12 Air Medals, the Cross of Gallantry and the Meritorious Service Medal. After retiring from the Air Force in 1984, he became an assistant dean and professor at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in England, according to his resume. He also founded Dolphin Express Airlines in the U.S. Virgin Islands and managed airports in England and Belgium.

Chris L’Hommedieu said his father moved to Maine after he and his sister, Heather, settled here to raise their families. He said his father wanted to be close to his three grandchildren. Edward L’Hommedieu’s wife, Jeanne, died four years ago.

Edward L’Hommedieu passed on his love of flying to his son, but his wife never liked being in the air, Chris L’Hommedieu said. He said he enjoyed flying with his father and they flew together frequently.

Edward L’Hommedieu was known for telling stories of his adventures flying around the world, including trips to Africa and Pakistan. He once had to sneak out of Liberia after he delivered a small plane to a senator, who decided to confiscate his passport and ordered Edward L’Hommedieu to stay as his pilot.

Chris L’Hommedieu said he will remember his father as someone who was always doing things for others.

“He really, truly was a very selfless person,” he said. “He had an unbelievable sense of adventure.”

Staff Writer Gillian Graham can be reached at 282-4337, ext. 213