Thanks to the Internet, modern technologies and the website Flightradar24 in early September, thousands of people watched the plane crash live. This case was analyzed by Yuriy Novostavsky, who is engaged in aviation security.

On September 4, 2022, a Cessa 551 Citation IISP business jet with flight number OE-FGR was flying from Jerez Airport (Spain) to Cologne/Bonn Airport (Germany). The pilot did not communicate, so fighter jets were raised over France, Germany and Denmark to intercept. However, they were unable to establish visual contact with the pilot.

Around Cologne, the plane made small turns, probably following the route programmed on the autopilot. It then continued in a straight line, maintaining altitude, until it ran out of fuel and the plane spiraled down and hit the water. It happened in the Baltic Sea, 37 kilometers northwest of the Latvian city of Ventspils. Lithuanian and Swedish rescue services immediately went to the crash site, but found no signs of survivors.

Thanks to reports of the drone on social media and the service Flightradar24, thousands of people watched the events in real life.

The cause of the accident is still unknown, but there is an assumption that the plane’s cabin depressurized at an altitude of 36,000 feet (about 11 km). As a result of the decrease in pressure, the pilot, along with the passengers, lost consciousness, and the plane continued to fly on autopilot until the fuel ran out.

But, this is only one of the theories, it is possible that something else happened, such as a heart attack. There was only one pilot, the index in the name Cessa Citation IISP just says that the plane was certified for flights with one pilot under certain conditions, SP – Single Pilot.

Maybe in a year or two we will find out the reasons, and maybe not, because not all Citation IIs are equipped with physical and parametric recorders, the so-called “black boxes”, without which it is much more difficult to conduct an investigation.

In any case, the opportunity to watch such events live 20 years ago was fantastic.

In fact, airplane accidents, the cause of which was the loss of consciousness of the pilot as a result of depressurization of the cabin, happen every year. This usually happens with small General Aviation aircraft and small business jets.