NTSB publishes the final report on crash, which was triggered in panic, 4 killed 4

The pilot and the passengers of a small aircraft, which did not react in panic after flying over the US Capitol complex, were probably triggered by a lack of oxygen this week, according to a final report published by the National Transportation Safety Board.

The oxygen problem was caused by a loss of cabin pressure during the flight, said the NTSB. The aircraft, a Cessna 560 quote from 11 seats V, had a number of problems in connection with its pressure and environmental control systems, including an overdue copilot-oxygen mask for inspection, and there are no signs of it,

Since the supplementary oxygen system of the aircraft operated on a minimal useful level, the NTSB came to the conclusion: “Oxygen would not be made available to the inmates of the aircraft and the passenger -oxygen masks.”

On June 4, 2023, the Cessna left a city airport in Eastern Tennessee, to Ronkonkoma, New York. The pilot, identified by the Associated Press as a 69-year-old Jeff Hefner, reacted to the reaction to ATC in about 15 minutes after the start of the flight, and Long Island, New York, reached the south and stormed near Montebello, Virginia.

Hefner was killed together with his three passengers: New York real estate agent Adina Azarian (49), Azarian's 2-year-old daughter Aria Azarian, and Evadnie Smith (56), who worked as a nanny for Aria.

Fighter Jets crawling

Before the crash, the aircraft flew through Washington, DC, and caused Norad, six F-16 fighter planes to confuse it to intercept it. During the persecution, one of the F-16 injured the sound barrier and left out a sound boom from Washington and the surrounding area.

The Air Force Jets made up torches to attract the pilot's attention in the Cessna, but he did not recognize their approach. The fighting pilots finally moved closer enough to see how a figure in the controls of the aircraft and three passengers who did not seem to move were over. They did not observe an obvious violation of the structure or doors of the aircraft, and there was no smoke in the cabin, the NTSB reported.

The Cessna finally went into a spiral and fell in George Washington & Jefferson National Forest.

“Based on the lack of response to the communication of air traffic control, ADS-B data that show the aircraft according to its flight schedule in the recently assigned height and the UsAF pilot observations assigned by air traffic control, it is likely that the pilot of the accident aircraft was informed during the promotion to the cruise altitude,” said the NTSB report. “It is also likely that the trajectory was directed from the autopilot to a point where it was no longer able to maintain control.”

Height -related hypoxia can cause confusion, disorientation, impairment of judgment and reactions, deteriorated motor coordination and difficulties in communication. If not addressed, the lack of oxygen leads to awareness and death.

In the amount of 30,000 to 50,000 feet, a pilot between half a minute and two minutes would have a protective measure against hypoxia, the NTSB said, although a quick depression could significantly reduce this time.

Hefner had medical conditions, which “was an increased risk of impairment or an incapable event”, added the agency, but he was not “an exceptionally high risk”.