What happened
An air taxi pilot landed an aircraft on a river, at which point two passengers disembarked from the plane. Following the landing, the owner of the aircraft flew over the river and observed the pilot waving to him. The owner then watched as the aircraft performed a slow water taxi across the river.
Upon flying low over the river, the owner observed that the pilot was slumped over the flight controls and watched the aircraft taxi into the river bank. The owner subsequently landed his own aircraft to check on the pilot. Upon arrival, the owner found that the pilot had no pulse and was not breathing. The pilot was later pronounced dead upon arrival at a nearby hospital.
Findings
An autopsy protocol determined that the cause of death was acute coronary insufficiency resulting from abnormal coronary artery distribution and atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease.