KenB Posted September 5, 2014 Share Posted September 5, 2014 Military personnel in Colorado Springs scrambled two jets Friday morning to check on a plane flying over the Atlantic Ocean amid concerns that whoever was inside was unresponsive. The F-15 jets were sent at 9:30 a.m. to track the plane, which was enroute from Rochester, N.Y., to Naples, Fla., said Preston Schlachter, a spokesman for the North American Aerospace Defense Command at Peterson Air Force Base. When the airplane entered Cuban airspace, the fighters did not follow, NORAD said in a tweet about 11:30 a.m. Concerns arose when no one on the plane, a Socata TBM700, responded to radio calls, he said. Check gazette.com for more on this story. Read more at http://gazette.com/norad-fighters-follow-plane-with-unresponsive-occupants-over-atlantic-to-cuban-airspace/article/1536911#f0xXDOfUgcev0Uwz.99 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LabRat Posted September 5, 2014 Share Posted September 5, 2014 Weird. Sounds like maybe a Payne Stewart event. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maldev Posted September 5, 2014 Share Posted September 5, 2014 Yeah...I remember that. Creepy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LabRat Posted September 5, 2014 Share Posted September 5, 2014 Yeah, just heard a report that the fighters saw condensation on the windows - another indication of sudden loss of cabin pressure, just like Stewart's plane. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Airpirate Posted September 5, 2014 Share Posted September 5, 2014 The TBM is made by Socata and is a solid aircraft and about the fastest single engine turboprop available . In the case of Stewert the Lear he was flying in had some issues with the windscreen with regards to pressurization , if the problem was similar and slow leak in the cabin as the aircraft climbed into the flight levels o2 would slowly decrease and not be noticeable the occupants would become hypoxic and the initial symptoms would be euphoria followed by lose of consciousness , most likely will never know 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TNSilverScout Posted September 13, 2014 Share Posted September 13, 2014 Weird. Sounds like maybe a Payne Stewart event. I was thinking the same thing. Sad...... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
maninbox Posted September 13, 2014 Share Posted September 13, 2014 In this case, the pilot asked flight controllers twice for permission to descend to a lower altitude. Flight controllers allowed them to drop to 25,000 feet which was no help. Hypoxia can occur at anything over 10 or 12,000 feet. Pilot asked again to drop altitude and the controller responded to hold altitude at 25000 while they were "working on it". When the air traffic controller finally returned, the pilot was unresponsive. Sad end of story. I wouldn't be surprised if air traffic controllers are held partially responsible for this situation. Although the pilot did not declare mayday or other emergency, air traffic controllers should have recognized a request to descend as a possible loss of pressurization event. A pilot suffering from hypoxia might not be able to make a good decision in that situation. Just my 2¢. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dk007 Posted September 14, 2014 Share Posted September 14, 2014 Going through military flight training and as an annual training requirement, I have plenty of experience with hypoxia in the high-altitude low-pressure chamber. The chamber is run by the Air Force and simulates taking you to 30,000 feet while you leave your oxygen mask off for as long as possible and try to complete simple tasks. You don't even know anything bad is happening and you remember nothing until the safety crew (who remain masked at all times) puts your mask on you when they see you go out. With the burst of oxygen, you suddenly snap out of it and don't believe anything even happened until they show you the tape. The good thing (if there is a good thing) about dying that way is it's painless and you don't even know it's happening. You just zone out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Micmac Posted September 14, 2014 Share Posted September 14, 2014 Oh yeah? In infantry school you have to take your mask off in a building filled with some shit that makes you puke and cough and say your serial number, if you can't do it they cycle you through again! Well, they used to- I think you can hold up a stress card now if something is too hard. I'm busting chops dk double nought! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dk007 Posted September 14, 2014 Share Posted September 14, 2014 Oh yeah? In infantry school you have to take your mask off in a building filled with some shit that makes you puke and cough and say your serial number, if you can't do it they cycle you through again! Well, they used to- I think you can hold up a stress card now if something is too hard. I'm busting chops dk double nought! Haha....Oh yeah, I'm very familiar with the CS chamber as well. I was an infantryman for many years before I realized it was easier to fly over hills than walk over them. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Airpirate Posted September 14, 2014 Share Posted September 14, 2014 The PIC should have declared an emergency if he knew he was having issues with environmentals the controller would have cleared him to 10,000 right away 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dk007 Posted September 14, 2014 Share Posted September 14, 2014 The PIC should have declared an emergency if he knew he was having issues with environmentals the controller would have cleared him to 10,000 right away Precisely. However, he may not have known he was even having an emergency. Obviously, ATC did not. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tahoe Chief Posted September 15, 2014 Share Posted September 15, 2014 Going through military flight training and as an annual training requirement, I have plenty of experience with hypoxia in the high-altitude low-pressure chamber. The chamber is run by the Air Force and simulates taking you to 30,000 feet while you leave your oxygen mask off for as long as possible and try to complete simple tasks. You don't even know anything bad is happening and you remember nothing until the safety crew (who remain masked at all times) puts your mask on you when they see you go out. With the burst of oxygen, you suddenly snap out of it and don't believe anything even happened until they show you the tape. The good thing (if there is a good thing) about dying that way is it's painless and you don't even know it's happening. You just zone out. Thats how Robin Williams went and probly why, no pain nothing but sleep, hyperventilate, then do the pass out game into your noose, buy buy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.