ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 145154
Last updated: 18 May 2013
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| Date: | 19-APR-2012 |
| Time: | 12:10 LT |
| Type: |  Cessna 421C Golden Eagle III |
| Operator: | Lee H Aviation Inc. |
| Registration: | N48DL |
| C/n / msn: | 421C0511 |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 1 / Occupants: 1 |
| Other fatalities: | 0 |
| Airplane damage: | Written off (damaged beyond repair) |
| Location: | Gulf of Mexico, approximately 150 miles from Sarasota, FL -
 United States of America
|
| Phase: | En route |
| Nature: | Private |
| Departure airport: | KASD |
| SRQ/KSRQ |
A Cessna 421C Golden Eagle III aircraft, N48DL, departed Slidell Airport - KASD, LA, at 06:40 local time on a flight to Sarasota/Bradenton International Airport - SPQ/ KSRQ, FL, across the Gulf of Mexico. It reached an altitude of FL280 some 38 minutes later.
N48DL remained at this altitude for twenty minutes, when it began a gradual climbing turn to the right to about 30.800 feet.
From then on the aircraft began to fly left hand 360-degree turns.
Because the pilot failed to respond to air traffic control, two Air National Guard McDonnell Douglas F-15 Eagle fighter jets (159th Fighter Wing) departed New Orleans, reaching the aircraft at about 09:30 local time. The ANG crew also were unable to make contact with the pilot.
The aircraft continued flying circles, attaining an altitude of FL330 approximately four hours into the flight. N48DL then began to descend at an increasing rate until it ditched in the Gulf of Mexico, approximately 150 miles from Sarasota, Florida. The ANG pilots of the scrambled F-15's said that the Cessna’s windows were iced over, a common sign of pressurization problems.
The pilot didn't survive.
Sources:
http://www.nycaviation.com/2012/04/gulf-of-mexico-plane-crash-may-have-been-caused-by-pressurization-problems-early-evidence-indicates/
http://www.nbc-2.com/story/17585126/pilot-unresponsive-plane-circling-over-gulf-of-mexico
http://abcnews.go.com/US/unresponsive-plane-crashes-gulf-mexico/story?id=16172431
http://news.lalate.com/2012/04/19/dr-peter-hertzak-dies-in-gulf-of-mexico-plane-crash-coast-guard/
http://flightaware.com/live/flight/N48DL/history/20120419/1230Z/KASD/KSRQ
http://www.faa.gov/data_research/accident_incident/preliminary_data/events01/media/01_48DL.txt
http://www.airport-data.com/images/aircraft/large/080/080407.jpg (photo)
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 19-Apr-2012 10:47 | gerard57 | Added |
| 19-Apr-2012 11:14 | 97.85.212.82 | Updated [Registration, Cn] |
| 19-Apr-2012 11:15 | harro | Updated [Aircraft type, Registration, Operator, Source] |
| 19-Apr-2012 12:33 | Geno | Updated [Time, Departure airport, Destination airport] |
| 19-Apr-2012 12:36 | Geno | Updated [Source] |
| 19-Apr-2012 14:27 | harro | Updated [Departure airport, Destination airport, Narrative] |
| 20-Apr-2012 06:02 | RobertMB | Updated [Aircraft type, Other fatalities, Location, Departure airport, Destination airport, Source, Narrative] |
| 20-Apr-2012 06:13 | RobertMB | Updated [Narrative] |
| 20-Apr-2012 08:33 | RobertMB | Updated [Location, Source, Narrative] |
| 20-Apr-2012 08:35 | RobertMB | Updated [Location, Narrative] |
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