ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 179226
This record has been locked for editing.
| Date: | Wednesday 2 September 2015 |
| Time: | 15:45 |
| Type: |  Van's RV-6A |
| Owner/operator: | Private |
| Registration: | N216LA |
| MSN: | 60527 |
| Year of manufacture: | 2005 |
| Total airframe hrs: | 147 hours |
| Engine model: | Aero Sport Power O-360-A2A |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 1 / Occupants: 1 |
| Aircraft damage: | Substantial |
| Category: | Accident |
| Location: | Hickman County east of Bon Aqua, TN -
 United States of America
|
| Phase: | En route |
| Nature: | Private |
| Departure airport: | Shelbyville, TN (SYI) |
| Alabaster, AL (EET) | |
| Investigating agency: | NTSB |
| Confidence Rating: |  Accident investigation report completed and information captured |
During the cruise portion of a cross-country flight, about 20 minutes after takeoff, the commercial pilot stopped responding to air traffic controllers as the airplane reversed course. It then climbed from 6,500 ft to 9,000 ft mean sea level and completed two left circuits before descending rapidly into the ground. Examination of the wreckage did not reveal any preimpact mechanical malfunctions. The pilot's autopsy revealed that he had severe coronary artery disease, scarring from previous heart attacks, and evidence of ongoing or recent damage to two new areas of heart muscle, indicating recent heart attacks. All of these conditions put him at risk of experiencing acute heart failure or a disturbance of heart rhythm (arrhythmia). Both acute heart failure and arrhythmia can rapidly lead to decreased consciousness due to low blood pressure. It is likely that acute symptoms from complications of the pilot's ongoing heart attacks resulted in impairment /incapacitation of the pilot and led to his loss of airplane control.
Probable Cause: The pilot's incapacitation from complications of a recent heart attack, which resulted in a loss of control during cruise flight.
Accident investigation:
 |
|
Sources:
NTSB
Location
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 03-Sep-2015 01:16 | Geno | Added |
| 03-Sep-2015 15:15 | Geno | Updated [Aircraft type, Registration, Cn, Operator, Source, Narrative] |
| 19-Sep-2015 00:43 | Geno | Updated [Time, Phase, Nature, Departure airport, Destination airport, Source] |
| 25-Jun-2016 20:23 | junior sjc | Updated [Aircraft type] |
| 21-Dec-2016 19:30 | ASN Update Bot | Updated [Time, Damage, Category, Investigating agency] |
| 27-Feb-2017 17:42 | PiperOnslaught | Updated [Source, Narrative] |
| 21-Jun-2017 10:00 | junior sjc | Updated [Source, Damage, Narrative] |
| 21-Jun-2017 19:49 | junior sjc | Updated [Nature, Source, Damage, Narrative] |
| 24-Jun-2017 16:38 | junior sjc | Updated [Nature, Departure airport, Destination airport, Source, Damage, Narrative] |
| 18-Aug-2017 19:33 | ASN Update Bot | Updated [Aircraft type, Other fatalities, Nature, Departure airport, Destination airport, Source, Damage, Narrative] |
| 18-Aug-2017 19:34 | harro | Updated [Aircraft type, Narrative] |
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