At about 21:46 EST, a Cessna 172R crashed into the Atlantic Ocean about 4.1 miles east of St. Augustine Airport. The pilot was killed. The flight originated from Orlando, Fla., an hour and a half before the accident. The pilot contacted Jacksonville Approach at 21:41:51 and requested VFR flight following to Craig Municipal Airport. At 21:45:24, the airplane was observed on radar at 2,000 feet heading 013 degrees. At 21:45:51, the airplane was observed at 1200 feet heading 051 degrees. The pilot stated at 21:46:00, Ah, Jax, I do not see anything. The airplane went off radar at 21:46:01 and radio contact was lost.
Jan. 5, St. Augustine, Fla. / Cessna 172
At about 21:46 EST, a Cessna 172R crashed into the Atlantic Ocean about 4.1 miles east of St. Augustine Airport. The pilot was killed. The flight originated from Orlando, Fla., an hour and a half before the accident. The pilot contacted Jacksonville Approach at 21:41:51 and requested VFR flight following to Craig Municipal Airport. At 21:45:24, the airplane was observed on radar at 2,000 feet heading 013 degrees. At 21:45:51, the airplane was observed at 1200 feet heading 051 degrees. The pilot stated at 21:46:00, Ah, Jax, I do not see anything. The airplane went off radar at 21:46:01 and radio contact was lost....
Key Takeaways:
- A Cessna 172R crashed into the Atlantic Ocean east of St. Augustine Airport at approximately 21:46 EST, killing the pilot.
- The flight originated from Orlando an hour and a half prior and had requested VFR flight following to Craig Municipal Airport.
- Radar data showed the aircraft rapidly descend from 2,000 feet to 1,200 feet and change heading just before it went off radar.
- The pilot's last transmission stated, "Ah, Jax, I do not see anything," moments before radio contact was lost.
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