Beech A36 N1803X accident near Fryeburg, Maine

Probable cause

The pilot’s incapacitation due to a cardiac event during taxi.

NTSB analysis

The pilot's son reported that he saw his father's airplane initiate a slow taxi for departure, drift right off the taxiway, and then come to rest next to a snow bank. The pilot's son found the pilot slumped over the control yoke, and he was subsequently transported to a hospital where he was pronounced dead. The pilot reported no significant medical history on his medical certificate application, and no health issues were identified during his most recent physical examination. However, the pilot's wife reported that the pilot had a history of heart disease. An autopsy revealed severe coronary artery atherosclerosis, an enlarged heart, and evidence of hypertensive heart disease, and the autopsy report stated that the cause of death was "severe coronary artery atherosclerosis."

Text from the NTSB. Open the NTSB docket for ERA14LA084 for the full record.