Indiana Plane Crash: Pilot Of Small Plane Failed To Respond

[dukester.2]

INDIANAPOLIS — A small, single-engine plane crashed into an open field in eastern
Indiana on Wednesday after the pilot became unresponsive and the plane started
to speed up and slow down at dangerous speeds, officials said.

The pilot may have had a health problem or was suffering from a lack of oxygen, officials said.

Read more at: Indiana Plane Crash: Pilot Of Small Plane Failed To Respond

Reminds me the small plane crash that golfing great Payne Stewart died from years ago...

[AeroGuyDC]

A single-engine aircraft at 25,000 feet is not normal. That's considered Class A airspace and is generally used by large aircraft. It sounds like the pilot was incapacitated and the aircraft climbed on its own until it couldn't climb any more (referred to as the service ceiling). A Mauney aircraft wouldn't benefit from an altitude that high to get from MI to IN. It will be interesting to hear the probable cause of this crash.

Speaking of Payne Stewart, I was in the JAX ARTCC airspace flying myself up from South Florida at the same time as Stewart's aircraft was passing through. I recall vividly hearing ATC's attempts to get the crew to respond. Unfortunately, those calls were never heeded.