Air traffic controller were aware of the mortal danger pos at the loss of pressurization in the Learjet gauge 35 carrying golf professional Payne Stewart and 5 others that crashed Oct 25 1999 (see ASW.

Air traffic controller were aware of the mortal danger pos at the loss of pressurization in the Learjet gauge 35 carrying golf professional Payne Stewart and 5 others that crashed Oct 25 1999 (see ASW, Nov. 1 1999) The Federal Aviation Administration last week released the transcript of radio traffic between air traffic controller and the stricken airplane. After apparent los of pressurization, causing everyone forward board to die from lack of oxygen (frost windows were evidence of outside air inside the airplane), the Learjet continued its Flying Dutchman-like trek upon autopilot from Florida, across the rural parts until running out of combustibles 1,400 miles later and crashing near Aberdeen, SD The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) sense of possible fulfilments to complete its investigation of the crash later this year. The Board has not released the cockpit voice recorder (CVR) transcript and, indeed, announced a scarcely any days after the crash that the circuit board that decode the memory chips was damaged.

The designs of the airplane's pressurization and juncture oxygen systems are sure to be bring under rules of the NTSB inquiry. Extracts of the transcript as go afters (all times Eastern Standard, a.m.). They are currented not out of morbid fascination, yet to illustrate the inherent danger of high-altitude flight, which lurchs despite the rarity of abrupt depressurization:

9:27 Pilot acknowledges clearance to climb (This is the last answer from the aircraft.)

9:37 ATC: "Appears to be climbing and (not talking with me)"

9:38 ATC: "...I think we got a dead pilot up here. He's within his altitude and off course now, with equal reason we don't know what's going in succession (ATC at this point recognizes it has a major situation forward its hands.)

9:53 ATC (to a Delta Airlines flight): "We have lost...uh...radio contact with him and he's, uh last assigned flight on a level three nine zero and he's climbed up to forty four thousand and now descending back...a Lear jet uh pleasing imminent situation. I don't know what's going upon with him." (The airplane, apparently having misspent pressurization, is cruising on autopilot. The time of useful consciousness at 40000 feet is around 15 others tops, according to a flight surgeon)

9:59 ATC: "(We're) too busy worried about this dowdy that's unresponsive, climbing and (is) probably going to die." (The airplane crashed about three hours and 20 minutes later.)

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