Cessna 340A N7022G in San Diego
Moderators: sky's the limit, sepia, Sulako, lilfssister, North Shore
Re: Cessna 340A N7022G in San Diego
Pilot was a doctor. Speculation is a stroke, which is not unreasonable.
Good judgment comes from experience. Experience often comes from bad judgment.
Re: Cessna 340A N7022G in San Diego
Crash video shows good VFR, he would have been visual. He was verbally responding to the controller but aircraft wasn't, is that the stroke guess?
Re: Cessna 340A N7022G in San Diego
It was going like hell when it hit the ground.
Re: Cessna 340A N7022G in San Diego
I guess it started with the "Pilot Incapacitation" heading on the video, and as you listen, I suppose you're listening for some announcement or emergency call based on that. That doesn't happen, but the recording does show a slow deterioration of his cognitive processes. Slow is probably the wrong word, because it all happened in about 10 seconds from when he was told he wasn't tracking the localizer to when the pilot last spoke. He did not seem to respond to the controller's urgency.
The only other cause I can think of might be carbon monoxide, but it seems to have come on too fast for that. Not likely a heart attack, as he surely would have known that, being a cardiologist, and there would have been time to declare a medical emergency.
We may never know. Although we will likely hear if he had a pre existing condition.
Good judgment comes from experience. Experience often comes from bad judgment.