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Coast Guard Calls Off Search for Downed Cirrus SR22

Reuters video shows simulation of the accident.
Gemini Sparkle

Key Takeaways:

  • The Coast Guard has suspended its search for the pilot of a Cirrus SR22 that crashed in the Atlantic Ocean off Virginia after flying through restricted airspace.
  • NORAD F-16s observed the pilot unconscious in the cockpit while tracking the plane, which failed to land as scheduled, until it descended and crashed.
  • Debris from the aircraft, including a wheel and engine cowl, has been recovered by a fishing vessel and handed over to the National Transportation Safety Board.
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The Coast Guard has suspended its search for the pilot of a Cirrus SR22 that went down in the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of Virginia on Saturday after flying through Washington’s restricted airspace and causing fighter jets to scramble.

A fishing vessel near the site of the crash recovered a wheel and engine cowl, which have been turned over to the National Transportation Safety Board. The Cirrus, en route from Waukesha, Wisconsin, to Virginia’s Manassas Regional Airport, failed to land as scheduled. Instead, the airplane with only the pilot on board remained at an altitude of 13,000 well past its planned destination.

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