WPR25LA003

While enroute at cruise altitude during a personal cross-country flight, the pilot lost consciousness. The passenger contacted air traffic control, who provided assistance with navigation and airplane operation, and successfully landed the airplane at a nearby airport. According to the pilot’s autopsy report, his cause of death was hypertensive and atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease, and his manner of death was natural. The autopsy identified an enlarged heart. All four chambers of the heart were described as severely dilated. Moderate coronary artery disease was present. There was old scar tissue of the left cardiac ventricle, consistent with a past heart attack. The only identified traumatic injuries were sternum and rib fractures following emergency life-saving cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) efforts. Based upon circumstances of the event and the pilot’s significant heart disease identified during the autopsy, it is likely that the pilot suffered an in-flight cardiac event, which resulted in his incapacitation and subsequent cardiac arrest.

On October 4, 2024, about 1340 Pacific daylight time, a Raytheon Aircraft Company C90A airplane, N6077X, was not damaged when it was involved in an accident near Bakersfield, California. The pilot was fatally injured, and the passenger was not injured. The airplane was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal flight. According to the passenger, the flight departed from Henderson Executive Airport (HND), Henderson, Nevada, and was destined for Monterey Regional Airport (MRY), Monterey, California. In cruise flight at 20,000 ft, the pilot lost consciousness, and the passenger attempted CPR. The passenger then contacted air traffic control and was given assistance with navigation and airplane operation. The passenger subsequently landed the airplane at Meadows Field Airport (BFL), Bakersfield, California. An autopsy of the pilot was performed by the Kern County Medical Examiner-Coroner. According to the autopsy report, the cause of death was “Hypertensive and Atherosclerotic Cardiovascular Disease,” and the manner of death was “natural.” The autopsy identified an enlarged heart, with a weight of 620 grams (normal heart weight is roughly 370-500 grams for a male of body weight 200 lbs). All four chambers of the heart were described as severely dilated. Coronary artery disease was present, with plaque causing up to 60% narrowing of the left anterior descending coronary artery, 50% narrowing of the right coronary artery, and 30% narrowing of the left circumflex coronary artery. No coronary artery blood clot was identified. There was an area of fibrosis of the left ventricle consistent with scarring from old heart attack. The autopsy did not identify significant natural disease other than heart disease; the pulmonary arteries and brain were not examined. The only identified traumatic injuries were sternum and rib fractures after CPR. Toxicology testing performed at the FAA Forensic Sciences Laboratory found an unspecified amount of Albuterol and Desmethylsildenafil in the urine. Albuterol is a prescription medication commonly used to relax tight lungs and improve wheezing and cough in conditions such as asthma and bronchitis. Albuterol is not typically impairing, although it may carry a warning about cautious use in patients with heart disease due to a potential for causing rare but significant cardiovascular side effects. Desmethylsildenafil is a metabolite of sildenafil (which was not detected in this case). Sildenafil is a prescription medication commonly used to treat erectile dysfunction, as a sexual enhancement aid, or in the treatment of certain other conditions, including pulmonary hypertension. Sildenafil is not typically impairing, although the FAA states that pilots should wait 8 hours after using it before flying, to monitor for side effects.