Overview
A pilot conducting a local flight in good weather experienced disorientation and confusion, leading to an accident. The pilot radioed air traffic control (ATC) requesting a vector to his home airport. At that time, the aircraft was approximately 10 miles southwest of the home airport and heading away from it, indicating the pilot was lost.
ATC Assistance and Sequence of Events
The controller provided the pilot with a position report and a vector to his airport. However, the pilot subsequently flew erratically at low altitudes. ATC made several attempts to contact the pilot, but the pilot did not respond. The aircraft then impacted a wooded area.
Medical History
The pilot had a history of multiple severe medical conditions and was at high risk for a stroke, having previously experienced a transient ischemic attack (TIA), or mini-stroke. According to the investigation, a TIA or stroke could reasonably account for the pilot's disorientation and confusion just prior to the accident. Although the autopsy did not discover any evidence of stroke, such evidence would only be apparent if the pilot had suffered a completed stroke and survived long enough for changes in the brain to become visible, typically several hours or more. The investigation concluded that the pilot's disorientation and confusion immediately before the accident were most likely consistent with a stroke or TIA.
Medical Certification
None of the pilot's severe medical conditions or the medications he was taking were reported to the FAA during his most recent application for a third-class medical certificate. According to the report, if those conditions had been reported, the certificate would have been denied. The pilot's personal physician believed that the pilot had not been flying as a pilot for at least five years.
Wreckage Examination
Examination of the wreckage did not reveal any preimpact mechanical malfunctions. The aircraft appeared to be in working order before the accident.
Conclusion
The accident sequence involved a pilot who became disoriented and confused during a flight in good weather, despite receiving vectors from ATC. The pilot's medical history, including a high risk of stroke, was considered relevant to the events but not explicitly identified as the cause in the official findings.