Apparently a Cirrus down in WV. info came from Airliners.net message board, where a center controller posted on the airliners.net board 
regarding the pilot sounding “out of it”. Speculation (albeit messageboard investigators) pondering hypoxia …here’s the thread…
airliners msg board
Something is really odd about this flight.
First flight of the day:
Indianapolis to York, Nebraska:
flightaware.com/live/flight/N581 … /KEYE/KJYR
Then a planned return (shown as incomplete w/ diversion) York, Nebraska back to Indianapolis.
flightaware.com/live/flight/N581 … /KJYR/KEYE
The last segment shows York, Nebraska to Manassas, Virginia - result unknown.
flightaware.com/live/flight/N581 … /KJYR/KHEF
Note that the planned altitude shows FL250 ???
That’s also going from a planned distance of 523nm to a revised 937nm.
There was a strong line of storms moving in the same direction as the flight path.
PS: the thread on airliners.net got nuked. I think the controller was saying too much?
I guess the speculation can end.
It crashed in Ravenswood, WV. One fatality.
Two F-16 fighter planes scrambled to follow the pilot saw the Cirrus begin a controlled descent, Peters said.
Why?
They were scrambled as he past his destination and didn’t change alititude. He was IFR, and flying lost comm he would’ve still ended up at his destination.
SOP in that sort of situation?
He was headed directly toward the greater DC area. Surely that played *some *part in the F-16 response.
Has anyone determined whether the reported altitude was correct? I wasn’t aware a Cirrus could be pushed that high.
Jim Peters, an FAA spokesman in New York, said the pilot had been flying at 25,000 feet before being given clearance to drop to a lower altitude. Peters said the pilot had been given permission to descend to 12,000 feet prior to the crash.
Looks like he was. But even at 12000 you feel some effects if he was had a malfunction w/ oxygen.The poster on Anet said the pilot sounded “out of it”, effects may have set, still had wherewithall to realize and request lower, but during the descent, and staying at 12000 might have been enough to progress the problem.
An SR-22 with turbo can be flown as high as FL250. I hope it wasn’t something wrong with the oxygen system.
Click Here aero-news.net’s story on release of NTSB findings.
flyingmag.com re; Flight Saftey’s Hypoxia training.
This is what Hypoxia sounds like on the radio,
natca.org/assets/multimedia/ … gl-zob.wmv
Good thing the controller caught these guys in time.
Wow! That’s scary!
“Kalitta 66 state your intention.”
“Control, I intend landing this aircraft in Ypsilanti and then I’m going to bear your children in gratitude!”
