What happened
On the morning of the incident, an aircraft departed Ypsilanti, Michigan, destined for Louisville, Kentucky. Shortly after receiving takeoff clearance at 05:15 EST, the flight crew began exhibiting signs of impaired control over the aircraft. Approximately 17 minutes into the flight, the crew deviated from their assigned instruments, maneuvering west of the Findlay VOR at an altitude of 22,000 feet.
As the flight progressed and was cleared to climb to 27,000 feet, the crew demonstrated significant confusion regarding basic instruments and magnetic headings. At 10:48 EST, the aircraft drifted from its assigned en route heading. Following a heading correction from air traffic control, the crew provided an incorrect readback of the new heading. The aircraft continued an unauthorized climb to 29,100 feet, after which all radio and radar contact was lost at 05:51 EST.
Air traffic controllers reported that the pilot's speech was slurred and difficult to understand. The aircraft eventually entered a steep dive and crashed. The impact and subsequent fire caused extensive damage to the aircraft type (unspecified model). There were 2 fatalities resulting from the accident.
Findings
Investigations into the sequence of events noted that the pilot's communication was characterized by unintelligible and slurred speech. While the aircraft was equipped with a pressurization system and oxygen, there were no recorded audible warnings indicating that the cabin altitude had risen above 10,000 feet. No mechanical failures were identified prior to the impact, suggesting that impaired crew performance was a central element of the flight's deterioration.