Cessna 421C N48DL

Summary

On 19 April 2012 at about 17:08 local time, a Cessna 421C registered N48DL, operated by LEE H Aviation Inc, was involved in an accident near United States. One person was on board and one died. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

19 April 2012 at 17:08

Classification

Accident

Location

United States

Coordinates

27.7167, -85.2167

Aircraft

Cessna 421C

Registration

N48DL

Category

Airplane

Engines

2

Operator

LEE H Aviation Inc

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Slidell → Sarasota

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

ERA12LA290

1 person died.

Pilot incapacitation, which resulted in the pilot’s inability to maintain airplane control and the airplane’s subsequent ocean impact.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.

Read the full NTSB narrative

According to a statement provided by the Jacksonville Center air traffic control (ATC) facility, the pilot contacted ATC while at flight level 270. About 25 minutes later, the airplane began to deviate from the ATC-assigned altitude and route. The controller’s attempts to contact the pilot were unsuccessful. The North American Aerospace Defense Command launched military fighter aircraft to intercept the airplane. The military pilots reported that the airplane was circling in a left turn at a high altitude and low airspeed and that its windows were partially frosted over. They also reported that the pilot was slumped over in the cockpit and not moving. They fired flares, and the pilot continued to be unresponsive. The airplane circled for about 3 hours before it descended into the Gulf of Mexico and sank. The pilot and airplane were not recovered. Review of the pilot’s Federal Aviation Administration medical records did not reveal any recent medical conditions that would have deemed him unfit to fly.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.