Cessna 182P N1338S accident near Atlantic Ocean, AO

Probable cause

Undetermined; the airplane and pilot are missing.

NTSB analysis

The pilot departed with about 25 to 30 gallons of fuel on-board and proceeded to fly over the Atlantic Ocean. About 23 minutes after takeoff, while operating in visual flight rules conditions, the airplane was lost from radar about 34 nautical miles east-southeast of the departure airport. The pilot’s body and the airplane wreckage have not been located. The airplane’s maintenance records were reportedly in the airplane; as a result, information concerning the last annual inspection was not available. The airplane’s owner reported that the airplane “performed flawlessly” when he and another pilot flew it 2 days before the event flight. Multiple medications that had been prescribed for the pilot for the treatment of various conditions, including depression and anxiety, blood pressure, angina, high cholesterol, insomnia, and seizures were found during the subsequent investigation. The investigation considered the possibilities of 1) pilot impairment/incapacitation and 2) suicide; however, the lack of physical evidence (the airplane and pilot remain missing) made such a determination impossible.

Text from the NTSB. Open the NTSB docket for ERA12FAMS1 for the full record.