Old 09-30-2009, 09:39 AM
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covsting76
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Default Plane Crashes After Pilot Found Unconscious

Plane Crashes After Pilot Found Unconscious - Indiana News Story - WRTV Indianapolis

"A plane crashed into a cornfield in rural Randolph County Wednesday afternoon after it was determined that the pilot was unconscious.

The single-engine plane had been headed to Muncie from an airport near Grand Rapids, Mich. The pilot was the only person on board.

Two F-16 fighter jets were scrambled to intercept the plane. They reported that the pilot's head was seen pressed against the side of the plane before the crash.

"When the pilot became unresponsive to air traffic control somewhere around northeast Indiana, we launched fighter aircraft from NORAD, intercepted the aircraft, made sure the pilot was, in fact, behind the controls of the aircraft," said Michael Kucharek, of the North American Aerospace Defense Command. "He was, but unconscious, slumped over the wheel."

There was no immediate word on whether the pilot survived. The crash site is in far northwestern Randolph County, about three miles southeast of Albany, in the 9800 block of State Road 28.

Kucharek said that the pilot had not responded to radio calls and that he may have blacked out because of a condition known as hypoxia, which is caused by a lack of adequate oxygen.

"We believe it was some type of medical condition that started shortly after he took off," Kucharek said. "He was in contact with air traffic control for a while, but seemed to be a little bit disoriented, which sometimes could indicate hypoxia."

Before it went down, the plane was headed south and was about 60 miles northeast of Indianapolis.
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