The story of the loss of a Cirrus SR22 yesterday due to apparent pilot incapacitation has been discussed exclusively in terms of a tragedy, and it most likely is just that. While it's not likely, it is possible that the pilot of the SR22 could have survived an engine-out crash into the Gulf even if incapacitated. Here’s how.
First, the backstory. A Cirrus SR22 on Thursday was lost over the Gulf of Mexico after its pilot became incapacitated while cruising on autopilot at 15,000 feet. The flight originated from Wiley Post Airport in Oklahoma City, OK, and was bound for Georgetown, TX, to pick up a dog as part of the Pilots N Paws pet rescue program. The pilot, Dr. Bill Kinsinger, was the only person aboard the plane.
After ATC alerted NORAD of the lack of response from the pilot, a pair of F-16s intercepted the plane as it continued southward, past its Central Texas destination and toward the Gulf of Mexico. After intercepting the Cirrus, the pilots attempted to attract Kinsinger’s attention, but he was unresponsive, they said. Running low on fuel, the F-16s returned to base. A pair of F-15s was dispatched to follow the Cirrus, but they could not locate the plane and returned to base without having made contact.
The F-16 pilots saw that the pilot was unresponsive. There are two most likely possible scenarios. Kinsinger suffered a medical episode and died at the controls. It happens. Kinsinger was just 55 years old, however. The other possibility is that Kinsinger lost consciousness because of hypoxia. At between altitudes of 15,000 and 19,000 feet, which is considered “very high altitude” in medical terms, incapacitation due to hypoxia would likely not have been fatal, though different people’s response to altitude sickness varies widely. Hypoxia at "very high altitudes" generally results in altitude sickness not death.
The systems in the Cirrus deserve some discussion, too. The airplane that crashed was, according to the FAA’s database, a 2016 model, which would have been outfitted with the Cirrus Perspective cockpit’s autopilot, the Garmin GFC700. The autopilot has built in envelope protection, functions that take control of the airplane under certain flight conditions to keep it from getting into envelope departures. A few of those functions would be at play in a loss of consciousness scenario. It would keep the plane from spiraling out of control, and it would prevent the plane from stalling, by keeping the speed just a couple of knots above stall speed. With no flaps, the plane would be flying at around 70 knots when it hit the water, wings level and nose mostly likely high. It’s not an ideal scenario, but it is survivable if the occupant were alive and able to escape the craft.
One wildcard is ESP’s hypoxia prevention function, which is designed to automatically descend the plane to a lower altitude if the pilot doesn’t interact with the controls for a given period of time at a high altitude. The altitude the Cirrus was cruising should have been more than high enough to activate that feature.
Cirrus did not respond to an email request for comment, although a company spokesperson did say that it was a sad day for "those involved and the entire Cirrus family."
As of late Friday, the United States Coast Guard was searching for the plane.
We will update the story as further details emerge.
This story has been updated to include new details that have emerged since our report was filed.
Not sure how accurate FlightAware is but it shows altitude of 18900′ for most of the flight over the Gulf.
https://flightaware.com/live/flight/N325JK
One hell of a way to go knowing the human survivability ratio with the parachute. I find it ridiculous and typical that the F-15’s couldn’t find the plane……if nothing else this could have used this as an airspace intruder interception training scenario……let’s see: Flying over water at 15 thou….. in a straight line at x number of kts. F-16’s would/could have broken off and marked position of their departure and that info. computed for replacement aircraft (F-15’s)………… to follow until the plane becomes the property of The Kingdom of Neptune……..
Hmmmm. Doctor. Malfunctioning system. Sounds like a law suit to me.
If it were hypoxia that caused dosing off, he should have woken as the plane descended itself at 68-70 knots after running out of fuel. Then, he could have radio for help and pulled parachute. It must have been cardiac episode.
So a PAIR of F16’s intercepted the Cirrus and had to disengage due to low fuel, a pair of F15’s launched to take over and they could not find the aircraft? One would assume I guess the Cirrus went into the drink after the 16’s left. I’m very curious if this was the case. Not that the 15’s could do anything other than register the coordinates of where it went down. Still did the 16’s provide coordinates before they left? The Cirrus was on autopilot so the course as well as the speed was know seems like some basic calculation could help them locate where it went in. I realize we don’t know its fuel situation still curious about the hand off coordination between the 16’s and 15’s. Glad this was not a terrorist situation!
Flightaware has it heading to the gulf on a south east heading at 18950ft and 238mph.
It only shows an altitude of 14500ft as “radar was lost” for whatever reason that would be.
First off it wasn’t 15000ft he was cruising at it was FL190 also the F16s out of EFD handed the intercept off to the F15s out of NBG and they were able to locate the plane and witnessed it descending into the ocean north of the Yucatán peninsula. After refueling they were unable to locate it again.
Teaching Moment:
I was previously an Aviation Physiologist where we administered hypoxia orientation training in the altitude chamber. This training is still available through Oklahoma City FAA as far as I know. It would be well worth the training to be exposed to altitudes of 25,000 where you could experience your symptoms which are varied but tend to be unique to each person, so that once you’ve experienced it you would theoretically and hopefully recognize it in the future, don the emergency oxygen mask, and descend. This would be all the more useful with the ever increasing number of people purchasing aircraft that fly above 14,000 feet. This might be another chance reminder for each of us to go ahead and buy that emergency oxygen bottle we’ve waffled about for too long.
I think 15,000 is the altitude the ESP system descends down to.
No.
I would leave the speculating to the pros ladies and gentleman.
Pilot Bill Kinsingers son started a
Go fund me to go search for his dad. Being coast guard called it off.
Lets see,The jets with all that training an tech could not fine a aircraft going in a straight line at 15000 feet.The transponders on that cirrus are amazing, butt all of asuden flight aware shows it never descending.Then it just went off radar.I think it was shot down.If it was full fuel it could have flown for 950 nm miles with the wind in its favor.With todays tech even goggle earth could find that plane. My kindest regards for his family.He seem to be a great man…………….GOD BLESS
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Does anyone have an explanation why flightaware would not show any descent…the last report shows an altitude of 18,900′