Why would someone want to commit a suicide like this? I imagine a death in the sea quite ugly.
But if it was about making the world think that you’re gone, then it’s a quite good idea. Descend to some meters above sea and bring the plane to a place where it will never be found. Or even let it ditch and leave by boat. Make agreements beforehand with anyone who can keep the secret, and off you go into second life.
Many have, having announced it on the radio beforehand. One just down the road from here…
The motivation for not saying anything is insurance payout to family, possibly.
The rest is straight out of MH370… and possibly the SR22 RBS banker on the way to LFAT.
If I was going to do myself in, no way would I want to drown. But at 250kt…
If it had an AP pilot incapacitation could also be a reason. If I am not mistaken, the flight path went near Helgoland. If it was in alt hold and hdg mode and a course was set towards Helgoland, it would simply continue until fuel runs out.
It’s a possibility, but there must have been some pilot input after passing Helgoland, as the altitude in the two FA tracks changes from 6200ft at first to 8500ft in the second. Hard to say how accurate these plots are out over open ocean, but it certainly looks like the airplane was on AP with zero variation in altitude.
In any case, I doubt many newer 172s would not have an AP. With about 53 gls usable fuel, a 172S should have an endurance of a bit over 5 hours to dry tanks, which would conform roughly to the accident flight (the FA tracks add up to 3 hrs, but there is a gap between them).
The endurance also assumes the pilot switching tanks; this is not a TBM.
The gaps are just a lack of coverage; the total track is what was actually flown.
Peter wrote:
The endurance also assumes the pilot switching tanks; this is not a TBM.
Nope, Cessnas have a ‘both’ setting. You very rarely fly a Cessna on one tank.
No need to switch tanks on a C172. Its fuel selector has a both position. With the AP holding the wings level there shouldn’t be too much of an imbalance.
So could also have been a heart attack or alike.
Indeed, but the track appears to be for a flight with an impossible range for the type.
As posted earlier, ATC etc will have all the details but nobody will be talking…
Peter wrote:
The endurance also assumes the pilot switching tanks; this is not a TBM.
The Cessna 172 has a “BOTH” tank selector position. It is the required setting for takeoff and many pilots leave it there for the whole flight.
