Accident
On April 19, 2012, at 1208 eastern daylight time, a Cessna 421C, registered as N23PH, collided with the water in the Gulf of Mexico. The flight was operated by a private pilot under Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 and an instrument flight rules flight plan was filed. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time. The pilot was fatally injured and the airplane sustained substantial damage. The flight had departed Slidell Airport (ASD) in Slidell, Louisiana, at 0643 central daylight time.
According to Jacksonville Center air traffic control (ATC), the pilot contacted ATC at approximately 0715 central daylight time while at flight level 270. About 20 minutes later, the airplane began to deviate from the assigned altitude and route. Attempts by the ATC controller to contact the pilot were unsuccessful. The North American Aerospace Defense Command launched military fighter aircraft to intercept the airplane. The military pilots reported that the airplane was circling in a left-hand turn at a high altitude and low airspeed, with its windows partially frosted over. They also observed the pilot slumped over in the cockpit and not moving. Despite firing flares, the pilot remained unresponsive. The airplane continued circling for approximately three hours before descending into the Gulf of Mexico. Upon impact, the airplane immediately filled with water and sank.
Pilot
The pilot, aged 65, held a private pilot certificate with ratings for airplane single-engine land, multiengine land, and instrument airplane. His most recent Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) third-class medical certificate was issued on December 20, 2010. At that time, he reported a total flight experience of 2,350 hours. The pilot's logbook was not recovered for examination.
Aircraft
The seven-seat, low-wing, retractable-gear airplane, serial number 421C0511, was manufactured in 1978 and purchased by the pilot on May 15, 1996. It was powered by two Continental GTSIO-520-L 375-horsepower engines, each equipped with a three-bladed McCauley propeller assembly. The most recent annual inspection was performed on June 22, 2011, at a total airframe time of 4,659.2 hours. The aircraft was delivered with a service ceiling of 30,200 feet and featured an optional cabin altitude control knob and a standard 11 cubic foot oxygen bottle, rather than a larger 114.9 cubic foot bottle. An annunciator light would illuminate when the cabin altitude exceeded 10,000 feet. The pressurization altitude was checked to 13,000 feet during the last annual inspection, and no oxygen masks were onboard the aircraft at that time.
Weather
Reported weather at Mobile Regional Airport, Alabama (MOB), located approximately 190 nautical miles northwest of the accident site at an elevation of 219 feet, at 1156, included wind from 350 degrees at 6 knots, visibility 10 statute miles, scattered clouds at 2,800 feet, temperature 25 degrees Celsius, dew point 14 degrees Celsius, and an altimeter setting of 29.99 inches of mercury.
Wreckage
The airplane was last reported approximately 190 nautical miles southeast of Mobile, Alabama. Neither the wreckage nor the pilot was recovered. A review of the pilot's FAA medical file did not reveal any recent medical conditions that would have deemed him unfit to fly.