Raytheon Aircraft Company C90A N6077X accident near Bakersfield, California

Probable cause

The pilot’s incapacitation by an in-flight cardiac event that led to cardiac arrest.

NTSB analysis

While enroute at cruise altitude during a personal cross-country flight, the pilot lost consciousness. The passenger contacted air traffic control, who provided assistance with navigation and airplane operation, and successfully landed the airplane at a nearby airport.

According to the pilot’s autopsy report, his cause of death was hypertensive and atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease, and his manner of death was natural. The autopsy identified an enlarged heart. All four chambers of the heart were described as severely dilated. Moderate coronary artery disease was present. There was old scar tissue of the left cardiac ventricle, consistent with a past heart attack. The only identified traumatic injuries were sternum and rib fractures following emergency life-saving cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) efforts. Based upon circumstances of the event and the pilot’s significant heart disease identified during the autopsy, it is likely that the pilot suffered an in-flight cardiac event, which resulted in his incapacitation and subsequent cardiac arrest.

Text from the NTSB. Open the NTSB docket for WPR25LA003 for the full record.