On May 24, 2019, about 1755 eastern daylight time, a Cessna 560, was destroyed when it hit the Atlantic Ocean. The airline transport pilot was not found and was presumed dead.
The flight originated from St. Louis Regional Airport (KALN) in Illinois, about 1430, and was destined for Fort Lauderdale Executive Airport (KFXE) in Florida. The owner of the airplane bought the airplane two days before the accident and hired the pilot to fly it to KFXE to have some avionics work completed.
On the day of the accident, the owner tracked the flight using an online commercial service once it departed KALN. Shortly after 1700, he received a call from the avionics shop at KFXE telling him that the airplane did not arrive. He then reviewed the airplane’s online flight track again and saw that it had overflown KFXE at 39,000 feet mean sea level (FL390) and was heading toward the Atlantic Ocean.
According to air traffic control radar and radio communication information provided by the FAA, the pilot established communications with the Atlanta Air Route Traffic Control Center (ARTCC) and reported that the airplane was level at FL390 and that the air was smooth. Thirteen minutes later, the controller instructed the pilot to contact the Jacksonville ARTCC, but the pilot was unresponsive. The controller made several attempts to contact the pilot on different radio frequencies, but no response was received. Controllers continued to monitor the flight via radar as it continued through Jacksonville and Miami ARTCC airspace without radio contact.
The US Air Force dispatched two aircraft to intercept the airplane. As they approached the plane, they could only see a vapor/contrail emitting from the right engine. The airplane slowed to about 100 knots as the interceptor airplanes passed it, and the pilots could not see the cockpit windows or inside the airplane. The airplane appeared to lose total engine power, then descended and hit the Atlantic Ocean about 310 statute miles east of KFXE.
The US Coast Guard initiated a search after the accident, which was suspended on May 25, 2019. Neither the pilot nor the airplane were recovered.
The pilot held an airline transport pilot certificate with ratings for airplane single- and multi-engine land. He had 9,016 total hours of flight experience. He held numerous type ratings, including a type rating for the Cessna 560. The pilot’s wife stated that her husband was not on any medications and that he had been sleeping well.
The airplane was manufactured in 2001, and was powered by two Pratt and Whitney 535A engines. The airplane completed a phase 1-4 progressive inspection on May 22, 2019. The airframe and engine total time was 4,744.6 hours at the time of the inspection. According to the airplane’s owner, all of the airplane’s maintenance logs were onboard the airplane during the accident flight. Review of maintenance records from the most recent progressive inspection revealed two discrepancies related to the environmental system: The air cycle machine coalescer filter was changed and the main entrance door secondary seal was replaced. Maintenance records indicated that post-maintenance operational checks were satisfactory.
Probable Cause: Impact with water for reasons that could not be determined based on the available information.
The altitude and unresponsive pilot suggests another “hypoxia missile”; continuing on autopilot until fuel exhaustion. Lack (or loss) of pressurization led to pilot incapacitation from hypoxia? (C-560 has clear annunciations of this condition – operational?)
This May 2019 accident report is provided by the National Transportation Safety Board. Published as an educational tool, it is intended to help pilots learn from the misfortunes of others.
A stroke or heart attack is also possible.