Piper PA32 N2750Q

Summary

On 15 June 2019 at about 08:15 local time, a Piper PA32 registered N2750Q was involved in an accident near Crisfield, Maryland, United States. One person was on board and one had minor injuries. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

15 June 2019 at 08:15

Classification

Accident

Location

Crisfield, Maryland, United States

Nearest airport

Crisfield-Somerset County Arpt (W41)

Coordinates

38.0133, -75.8186

Aircraft

Piper PA32

Registration

N2750Q

Category

Airplane

Year built

1977

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Crisfield → Crisfield

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Night

NTSB number

ERA19LA197

1 person had minor injuries.

The pilot's sudden incapacitation from an undiagnosed cardiac arrhythmia while on final approach, which resulted in descent and collision with trees and terrain.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot departed with the intention of remaining in the traffic pattern to perform one full-stop night landing before proceeding on a planned instrument flight rules cross-country flight. After takeoff, he remained in the traffic pattern and turned onto the final approach leg. He last recalled being about 1 mile from the runway threshold, then had a brief recollection of trees being in the cockpit. He awoke several hours later, exited the wreckage of the airplane, and walked to his house, where help was summoned. He reported that, to the best of his knowledge, there was no preimpact mechanical failure or malfunction. The pilot's description was consistent with unwitnessed temporary loss of consciousness during the landing approach. While there was no toxicology to support an alternative cause, a cardiac evaluation 2 months after the accident revealed that the pilot had intermittent complete heart block with prolonged pauses between heartbeats, which can lead to fainting. Additional cardiac tests showed normal coronary arteries but revealed that the pilot had cardiac sarcoidosis. The pilot denied having syncopal events prior to the accident and reported no symptoms before losing consciousness. His medical records contained no mention of any sarcoid disease. Given the natural course of cardiac sarcoidosis, the pilot's sudden incapacitation from complete heart block would not have been predicted. Thus, it is likely that the pilot experienced sudden incapacitation from an undiagnosed arrhythmia.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.