What happened
Shortly after departing, the pilot of N43KM, an unspecified aircraft type, was instructed to climb to 17,000 feet. Approximately seven minutes after takeoff, the aircraft reached this altitude. Radar tracking subsequently revealed that the aircraft began flying an irregular, wandering path that drifted significantly from its assigned course. Despite receiving multiple corrections from air traffic controllers, the flight path remained unstable.
After maintaining 17,000 feet for roughly six minutes, the pilot received clearance to climb to flight level 240. While ascending through 18,000 feet, the pilot provided one final intelligible radio transmission to acknowledge a heading correction. However, as the aircraft reached 24,000 feet, the pilot ceased providing meaningful responses to controller queries. At 14:56, radar data indicated the aircraft began descending through 21,000 feet, followed by a sudden, rapid descent that ended in an impact. The crash resulted in one fatality.
Findings
Investigation of the wreckage and cockpit controls revealed that both bleed air switches were set to the closed position. Additionally, the aircraft's pressurization switch was found in the dump position. Analysis of air traffic control audio recordings indicated that the pilot's final transmissions did not suggest the use of an oxygen mask microphone. Aside from these settings, no other mechanical issues were identified that would have interfered with the standard operation of the aircraft.