Comments on: Plane Crashes In Gulf

By: HM

HM — Fri, 20 Apr 2012 15:49:50 +0000

A general practitioner in this small town for 40 years, disappeared Jan. 8.
Stewart, 67, apparently drove his old truck to the airport in nearby Atmore, Ala., early in the morning before anyone else had gotten there, climbed into his Cessna and took off.
No one saw him or knew where he was going.
The Air Force, Civil Air Patrol and one of Stewart’s sons searched from the air but found no wreckage. No signals were picked up from an emergency beacon that was supposed to activate if the plane crashed.

By: Jane

Jane — Fri, 20 Apr 2012 00:36:54 +0000

Gembeaux is exactly correct on all counts. That particular aircraft was at max altitude and could have been higher for a time, causing the pilot to black out from lack of cabin pressure or there may be other factors involved. But you can’t guess what happened and make a judgement without more facts. The FAA will investigate and until they do and get some answers all this is pure speculation.

By: Keith

Keith — Thu, 19 Apr 2012 23:28:36 +0000

The same thing happened to golfer Payne Stewart in 1999.

By: Panhandlepix

Panhandlepix — Thu, 19 Apr 2012 22:01:32 +0000

Fishy you need to do some research on what happens when an aircraft loses cabin pressure. First of all the pilot and all aboard black out and have no control of the craft die to the lack of oxygen.

By: Tickle

Tickle — Thu, 19 Apr 2012 20:39:06 +0000

There is nothing fishy about loss of cabin pressure, at those altitudes air is very thin. Its happened before. Remember the famous golfer, his plane did the same thing.

By: Gembeaux

Gembeaux — Thu, 19 Apr 2012 20:30:48 +0000

That plane has a max service altitude of about 30,000 feet, and an optimal operating ceiling of about 20,000-25,000. If the windows were iced over, there’s a good chance that the pilot was above safe altitude without auxiliary oxygen; probably passed out from anoxia (and may have been dead before the plane landed), the plane spiraled until fuel was depleted. My father, a 50+ year pilot, civilian and miltary, told stories of this happening, but also had a friend who, as it turned out, had a heart attack at the stick, and apparently put the plane into a gradual climb as he slumped back into the seat, until the plane eventually stalled and fell into the Atlantic.
Hopefully, the family will eventually have some answers – or maybe the pilot will be discovered dog-paddling nearby!

By: Fishy

Fishy — Thu, 19 Apr 2012 18:55:46 +0000

Something smells fishy…….No distress signal……just circling for three hours. Sounds like it circled until it ran out of gas. More to the story. Keep us posted William.