Chelsea laneway death crash plane had troubled past

A HOMEMADE light plane that slammed into a suburban street had crashed twice before and caught fire on the runway at Moorabbin Airport a month prior to the fatal accident.

A HOMEMADE light plane that slammed into a suburban street had crashed twice before and caught fire on the runway at Moorabbin Airport a month prior to the fatal accident.

Pilot John Stephenson, 77, died when his amateur-built plane crashed into a Chelsea laneway in October, clipping homes and cars before bursting into flames.

It can also be revealed he led a colourful life that included time as a police officer, one game for Carlton and a stint in jail for stealing more than $3 million from clients of his Frankston law practice.

An Australian Transport Safety Bureau investigation into the Chelsea crash found Mr Stephenson’s plane, built in 1999 and registered in 2003, also crashed in 2007 and 2010.

A month before the fatal accident, the plane caught fire while taxiing at Moorabbin Airport.

Witnesses helped extinguish the blaze but after inspecting aircraft, the pilot “reported to friends that there appeared to be no damage”, the ATSB found.

The Van’s RV-6A’s engine was replaced in 2007 after midair engine failure caused a “forced landing”, and again in 2010 when the nose collapsed and the propeller hit the ground.

PILOT HAD ‘PASSION’ FOR FLYING

MOORABBIN AIRPORT ACCIDENT STATS BLAMED ON TRAINING FLIGHTS

CRASH PILOT HAILED A HERO

ATSB records show the RV-6A was the amateur model most commonly involved in accidents, with 20 between 1988 and 2010.

But investigators are still trying to determine what caused the fatal crash, with flight data suggesting the engine was working normally during most of the three-­minute flight.

“Work is ongoing to explain a decrease in engine oil pressure about seven seconds before the end of the recorded data,” the report said.

The plane was travelling at 370km/h before a “steep nose-down” impact with the lane.

Mr Stephenson was hailed as a hero for avoiding hurting anyone else.

When Mr Stephenson was jailed and struck off as a lawyer in 1996, Supreme Court judge George Hampel said he was “a very good family man” who made full admissions about misappropriating more than $3 million.

The money was taken from trust accounts between 1988 and 1994 when property deals soured and he was threatened by business partners.

He also played one senior game for Carlton in 1958.

The amateur pilot had nearly 1700 hours of flying experience, with 17 hours in the air in his last six months.

The ATSB’s investigation is due to be completed in March.

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