What happened
During a scheduled post-maintenance check flight, an aircraft was operating approximately 20 miles from the coastline. While maintaining a level altitude of roughly 4,900 feet MSL, the pilot was receiving visual flight advisories from a terminal radar approach facility. During the flight, the aircraft began to lose airspeed and entered a right-hand spiral descent. Radar tracking was lost when the plane reached an altitude of approximately 1,000 feet MSL. Following the disappearance, the pilot's body was retrieved from the ocean.
Findings
An autopsy determined that the pilot suffered a sudden cardiac death caused by an acute myocardial infarction, which was a result of atherosclerotic coronary artery disease. Additionally, a drug screen revealed the presence of Tramadol, a pain-relieving medication not authorized for use by the FAA during flight operations. It is noted that the presence of this medication may have potentially masked symptoms of chest pain during the flight.