Accident Details
On February 27, 2013, at approximately 1230 mountain standard time, a Cessna 150M, registration N9172U, collided with terrain near Florida, New Mexico. The pilot, the sole occupant, was fatally injured, and the aircraft was destroyed. The flight was operated under 14 CFR Part 91 as a personal flight. Visual meteorological conditions were present, and no flight plan had been filed.
Flight History
The local flight departed Belen Municipal Airport (E80), New Mexico, around 1100, with an intended route to El Paso International Airport (KELP), Texas, via Deming Municipal Airport (KDMN), New Mexico. The pilot was receiving Visual Flight Rules Flight Following Services from Albuquerque Air Route Traffic Control Center. An unofficial transcript of voice communications indicated that at approximately 1226, the pilot reported being in trouble and experiencing severe pain, stating that his eyesight was dimming. He provided his position as north of Deming. Radar contact was lost about 1230.
Wreckage and On-Site Investigation
On-site photographs taken by a Federal Aviation Administration inspector showed impact marks but no ground scars. The distribution of wreckage was consistent with an in-flight airframe failure and breakup. Two Lowrance AIRMAP devices (models 2000c and 600c) were recovered from the wreckage and sent to the NTSB's Vehicle Recorder Division. Data could not be recovered from the 600c, but the 2000c yielded 139 data points from its last recorded trail (session 37). This data showed the aircraft taxiing from a hangar at the northeast corner of the airport, then departing from Runway 03 to the north-northeast. It turned right toward the south and flew parallel to Interstate 25 for most of the en route portion. Near the town of Hatch, the airplane turned southwest along State Highway 26 toward Deming. The trail ended near the recorded coordinates of the wreckage site, east of Florida, New Mexico.
Pilot and Medical Information
The 78-year-old pilot had applied for medical certification, but it was deferred due to elevated blood pressure. He was subsequently issued a limited third-class airman certificate on September 1, 2011, with a restriction to wear corrective lenses. He also received a waiver for defective color vision after passing the Aviation Signal Light Test. The pilot had reported hypertension to the FAA. His most recent electrocardiogram (EKG) was normal, and his blood pressure was controlled with irbesartan (Avapro). An autopsy attributed death to blunt force trauma of the entire body. Injury to the brain precluded further evaluation for underlying chronic or acute pathology, but the autopsy identified significant hypertensive and atherosclerotic heart disease. Toxicology screening detected the presence of irbesartan. The NTSB's medical officer concluded that the pilot most likely suffered an acute coronary syndrome (with or without an acute arrhythmia), which caused chest pain and hypotension, leading to incapacitation.