An incident over the weekend is raising concerns over the problem of pilot incapacitation. On Sunday afternoon, Cessna T240 Corvalis TTx (N636CS) departed from Ramona Airport (KRNM) in California for a short flight to Montgomery-Gibbs Executive Airport (KMYF) in San Diego. While about eight miles from the destination airport, the pilot accepted a clearance to intercept the final approach course for Runway 28R. It was the last communication received from N636CS.
Controllers at Montgomery-Gibbs Executive were forced to divert other traffic. One pilot was told, “There’s a traffic violator flying through the departure corridor, so I’m just going to hold you there.”
The aircraft continued on its precise southwest heading at 2,600 feet until disappearing from radar some 470 miles out to sea over the Pacific Ocean. Multiple attempts to contact the Cessna yielded no response from the pilot…