BREAKING: Flight bound for Naples FL - Pilot unresponsive, slumped over controls

[ArcadiaGP]

Jamaican military says unresponsive US-based plane crashed in ocean north of island, @AP now reports

 

[HoughMade]

It's not just temperature. That plane is pressurized....or should be. Upon a rapid depressurization, the lungs have a hard time compensating and no breath- no talk. By the time pressure equalizes, you will probably be hypoxic and passing out.

 

[CountryBoy19]

Just crashed on the island of Jamaica.

Reports I saw said crashed off the coast of Jamaica and the map shows lost radar contact off the coast... reportedly there were 3 people on board...

 

[avboiler11]

Reportedly, the pilot of this aircraft was new to this particular plane, but had LOTS of experience in the TBM-700 family.

 

[Dead Duck]

Audio of the flight N900KN .

http://archive-server.liveatc.net/kgso/ZTL-GSO-Sep-05-2014-1400Z.mp3

They seem to have problems and request altitude change at 4:30ish (if I'm hearing this right)


NORAD F-15s intercept unresponsive TBM 700 ? FlightAware

 

[Alamo]

Sounding like they were flying too high and the cabin is frozen meaning no one is conscious. I find it weird there wouldn't have been a few seconds to make a emergency call, temp would have to be in the -50s+ to freeze someone in seconds.

Hypoxia. The icing occurs after the pilot (and anyone else onboard) loses consciousness. The plane burns off fuel, loses weight, slowly climbs to colder altitudes, frosts over, until it runs out of fuel.

 

[hoosierdoc]

Reports I saw said crashed off the coast of Jamaica and the map shows lost radar contact off the coast... reportedly there were 3 people on board...

Glad it landed on the water instead of into a house. sad day.

 

[churchmouse]

With all the tech we surround ourselves with this is kind of strange.
Sad ending.

 

[CountryBoy19]

Audio of the flight N900KN .

http://archive-server.liveatc.net/kgso/ZTL-GSO-Sep-05-2014-1400Z.mp3

They seem to have problems and request altitude change at 4:30ish (if I'm hearing this right)


NORAD F-15s intercept unresponsive TBM 700 ? FlightAware

Yup, that's what I heard, KN (N900KN) requested descent to 180 (18,000 ft) due to equipment failure. ATC Atlanta denied request and directed them to maintain at 250 (25,000 feet)... KN pleaded with ATC Atlanta that they NEED TO GET LOWER and ATC Atlanta told them to stand-by. Never heard anymore comms from KN but I didn't listen to all of it...

 

[hoosierdoc]

If that's true then watch out for the lawsuits.

 

[printcraft]

Yup, that's what I heard, KN (N900KN) requested descent to 180 (18,000 ft) due to equipment failure. ATC Atlanta denied request and directed them to maintain at 250 (25,000 feet)... KN pleaded with ATC Atlanta that they NEED TO GET LOWER and ATC Atlanta told them to stand-by. Never heard anymore comms from KN but I didn't listen to all of it...

If so that's f'd up.
Kind of like the 911 operator telling you to put your gun away while an intruder is still in the house because the police are on the way.

 

[Rookie]

Yup, I'd be informing them what they could do with themselves right after I let them know I was dropping to 18,000.

 

[churchmouse]

Yup, I'd be informing them what they could do with themselves right after I let them know I was dropping to 18,000.

My thoughts as well. I am going to 18K....inform any flights in my path as I am going right now.

 

[T.Lex]

Wouldn't they need to get to < 10k in case of depressurization?

Yup, that's what I heard, KN (N900KN) requested descent to 180 (18,000 ft) due to equipment failure. ATC Atlanta denied request and directed them to maintain at 250 (25,000 feet)... KN pleaded with ATC Atlanta that they NEED TO GET LOWER and ATC Atlanta told them to stand-by. Never heard anymore comms from KN but I didn't listen to all of it...

That's from about 4:30 to 5:00 in the mp3? That part seems to end with "turning left 900 Kilo November" but I didn't catch if there was a heading associated with it. Can't tell if the garbling was just the recording or maybe some slurring.

At 6:42, there's something like "two zero zero 900 Kilo November" but can't tell what that's in response to or asking about.

Then again at about 7:30.

 

[forgop]

Curious why they didn't declare an emergency. ATC then does whatever the hell you want.

 

[ArmedProgrammer]

redacted

 

[SEIndSAM]

Curious why they didn't declare an emergency. ATC then does whatever the hell you want.

Wondered the same thing.

 

[avboiler11]

PIC authority allows you to tell ATC to eff themslves.

Declare an EMERGENCY (pilots are hesitant to do this, for some reason), squawk 7700 and descend, let the controller clear the airspace and do the paperwork later.

NEVER EVER EVER should a pilot allow themselves to get put in a box by ATC...

 

[T.Lex]

You can't get to < 10 k if you are depressurized and stone cold out.... These guys were at 25k. Kind of hard to declare an emergency under those conditions.

Right - but they were conscious when they requested 18k. If he knew it was a pressure problem - first, I agree, he would have declared an emergency - but second, he would have tried to descend to 10k. I think.

(Fair warning, I grew up with aviation, but am not a pilot.)

Chilling moment at about 8:00 where ATC asks for confirmation that KN knows they can descend to 20k. Mumbled response. At 8:40, another request for confirmation and something that I don't understand.

At 9:50, another call for KN to descend to 20k. Don't get a response, I think. Can kinda tell people are waiting for one.

At 11:49 "Kilo November, if you can hear this, transmit an ident." Nothing.

Then it sounds like a handoff with a request for KN to contact ATC.

New ATC makes several tries over the next few minutes, without contact.

 

[forgop]

You can't get to < 10 k if you are depressurized and stone cold out.... These guys were at 25k. Kind of hard to declare an emergency under those conditions.

When they made the request, it appears as though they did for a specific reason, not just because of something like turbulence. Even an immediate depressurization would give you a little time. According to the site I saw, a depressurization would give you 3-5 minutes of "useful consciousness" at FL250. The only real argument is if they had a leak and they were unaware and failed to recognize the signs/symptoms of hypoxia.