Mooney M20J accident near Atlantic Ocean, September 14, 2003

The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record

At 1311:35, the pilot contacted Palm Beach Departure and reported that he was near Stuart and returning to the Palm Beach airport with an unspecified problem. At 1312:01, the pilot reported that he had a "severe, severe headache in the base of [his] neck." Approximately 2 minutes later the pilot reported "my defibrillator just went off on me." At 1315:08, the pilot declared "mayday" and reported that he was losing his eyesight and that he was going to head east. At 1315:28, the controller confirmed with the pilot that he wanted to proceed on an easterly course over the water to which the pilot responded, "yea, I don't wanna take anybody out I don't know whether I can make it back." The last radio communication from the pilot was at 1315:40. At 1322:37, the pilot of another airplane, N402JH, reported the accident airplane had impacted the water. Radar data indicates that in the vicinity of Jupiter, at 1315, the airplane turned eastbound over the Atlantic Ocean. From 1315 to 1320, the airplane climbed from 1,300 to 4,100 feet. From 1320 to 1322, the airplane descended from 4,100 feet to 300 feet where radar contact was lost at 1322:25. The U.S. Coast Guard responded to the accident site area, and spotted a debris field at 1453. Only a plastic bag with paper contents was recovered by the U.S. Coast Guard. An NTSB review of the pilot's medical records indicate approximately 2 years prior to the accident, the pilot had his aortic valve replaced due to severe aortic insufficiency. Approximately 1 1/2 years prior to the accident, the pilot had a cardioverter/defibrillator implanted due to frequent abnormal rhythms on EKG and Holter monitor and "inducible monomorphic ventricular tachycardia" on electrophysiology study. A review of the pilot's airmen records revealed that the pilot was issued a second-class airmen medical certificate on June 26, 2000. Federal Aviation Regulation 14 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Part 61.23 states that a second-class medical certificate for operations requiring a private pilot certificate expires at the end of "the 24th month after the month of the date of the examination shown on the certificate if the person has reached his or her 40th birthday on or before the date of the examination." Federal Aviation Regulations 14 CFR Part 67.111, 67.211, and 67.311 state that for first-class, second-class, and third-class airmen medical certificates, cardiovascular standards are that a person cannot have a clinical diagnosis or medical history of cardiac valve replacement or permanent cardiac pacemaker implantation.

The complete narrative as the NTSB published it. The NTSB's docket holds the report as a PDF and any photographs, statements and other documents from the investigation.