Unresponsive Plane Crashes in Gulf of Mexico

abcnews ^ | 4-19-2012 | MATT HOSFORD (@ABCaviation) , PIERRE THOMAS (@PierreTABC) , JASON RYAN (@JasonRyanABC) , LUIS MARTIN

[rawhide]

A twin-engine aircraft crashed into the Gulf of Mexico after the pilot was unresponsive for nearly three hours as radar tracked the plane flying aimlessly in loops.

The FAA lost radio contact with the Cessna 421 before 9 a.m. ET. It was circling at approximately 28,000 feet. Fully loaded, the plane was carrying about 3.5 hours worth of fuel. Only the pilot was thought to be on board.

The plane took off from Slidell, La., and was en route to Sarasota, Fla., according to a flight plan. Somewhere between the two points, it began flying in circles.

Officials at NORAD confirmed that the air defense agency has launched two F-15 fighter aircraft to intercept the general aircraft over the Gulf of Mexico.

NORAD spokesman John Cornelio said the fighter jets made contact visual with the aircraft over the Gulf around 8:45 a.m. They monitored the situation providing overhead cover.

"We are monitoring the flight pattern and the aircraft remains unresponsive," said Cornelio before the crash.

Spotter aircraft confirm the plane landed right side up and did not break apart, but later began to sink, according to the Coast Guard.

The Coast Guard has asked mariners in the area to offer assistance.

The pilot may have suffered hypoxia,or a lack of oxygen, said ABC News aviation consultant Stephen Gaynaard.

"As the pilot was in the climb, the cabin was not pressurizing," he speculated, "so there was not sufficient oxygen to keep him conscious."

The plane appears to have been flying between 10,000 and 30,000 feet after the pilot became unresponsive

[KeyLargo]

Could be inop. O2 system? Unresponsive Cessna 421 Pilot Crashes in Gulf of Mexico By Bethany Whitfield / Published: Apr 19, 2012

The 421 is a pressurized piston twin with a service ceiling of around 30,000 feet and a regulatory ceiling of 28,000 feet. They are typically flown in the low flight levels.

According to the AP, the airplane went down around noon approximately 120 miles West of Tampa, “landed softly” and remained upright and intact. A Coast Guard rescue helicopter was deployed to the crash site, but was not expected to arrive while the airplane was still afloat. There were reportedly no signs from the site that the pilot was still alive.

The airplane had flight planned for 27,000 feet and 215 knots along a Gulf of Mexico high-altitude route. The flight from Slidell, LA, to Bradenton, Florida, was expected to last around three and a half hours.

While the exact cause of the incident is still unknown, references to the 1999 crash that killed golfer Payne Stewart and five other occupants aboard a Learjet after the aircraft lost cabin pressure over the Gulf of Mexico have already begun."

http://www.flyingmag.com/technique/accidents/unresponsive-cessna-421-pilot-crashes-gulf-mexico

[KeyLargo]

AVIATION PING

[jaydubya2]

I would think the pilot had the auto pilot engaged for this flight. Whay would cause it to start circling?

[CFIIIMEIATP737]

Why did you put a picture of a Conquest turboprop in a story about a 421?

[skinkinthegrass]

thxs, for the ping... heard about this earlier.
gives added credence to the fine workmanship on the aircraft industry.

[KeyLargo]

Hey, it beats posting a photo of a corporate jet as some media have done.... or a C172R.. or C172

See:

http://news.nationalpost.com/2012/04/19/ghost-plane-crashes-into-gulf-of-mexico/

http://www.foxnews.com/us/2012/04/19/f-15s-follow-small-plane-off-florida-after-pilot-becomes-unresponsive/

http://www.google.com/imgres?um=1&hl=en&client=firefox-a&sa=N&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&biw=1024&bih=581&tbm=isch&tbnid=tSNb2xMjp_pbIM:&imgrefurl=http://www2.wkrg.com/news/2012/apr/19/pilot-apparently-unconscious-over-gulf-mexico-ar-3637914/&docid=OugrFOIb2WkrjM&imgurl=http://www2.wkrg.com/mgmedia/image/294/0/343488/pilot-apparently-unconscious-over-gulf-mexico/&w=294&h=220&ei=gJCRT92BHYfq8wT9m92pBA&zoom=1&iact=hc&vpx=442&vpy=168&dur=2335&hovh=176&hovw=235&tx=156&ty=194&sig=107010774750519640259&page=4&tbnh=121&tbnw=160&start=55&ndsp=20&ved=1t:429,r:2,s:55,i:257

[hattend]

Similar...but different.

[KeyLargo]

This is the actual plane involved.