What happened
During the flight, the pilot informed his wife, who was seated in the co-pilot's seat, that he was feeling unwell and experiencing heartburn. The pilot expressed his intention to perform an emergency landing on a nearby state highway.
The passenger reported that the landing itself was smooth. However, shortly after the aircraft came to a stop on the highway, it veered off the roadway and settled in an adjacent ditch. During the landing rollout, the pilot became unresponsive.
Findings
Upon arrival at the scene, emergency medical services personnel found the pilot unresponsive. The pilot was transported to a hospital, where he subsequently passed away. A postmortem examination determined that the 1 fatality was caused by occlusive coronary artery disease.