On August 30, an SR22T crashed in the Atlantic Ocean after its pilot become unresponsive. The airplane had been cruising at FL210, then descended to 13,000, according to FlightAware.com, before it went Nordo.
Less than a week later, on September 5, the pilot of a TBM900 cruising at FL280 told ATC he had an unspecified problem and needed a lower altitude. After the airplane descended to FL250 and turned slightly left for further descent, ATC lost radio contact. The airplane continued across Cuba and crashed off Jamaica. Neither aircraft has been recovered at this writing.
It’s way too early to know what happened aboard these two airplanes. The USAF launched two F-15s to shadow the TBM900; they reported seeing the pilot slumped over the controls before the windows frosted over. Similarly, two fighters intercepted the SR22 when it strayed into security airspace near Washington, D.C. Regardless of the mechanical possibilities involving these two aircraft, one factor at least in the TBM900 accident—based on his report and request—may be a pilot’s natural reluctance to admit he or she has a problem that needs to be fixed right now. “It’ll be fine” easily could be many pilots’ last thought.
