Originally Posted by
anchorhold
Flyems states.........Could the aircraft have responded in the manner seen on the video as a result of pilot incapacitation?
I think that has to be a possibility when faced with an aircraft with less than 300 hrs flight time and a single crew pilot aged 53. This is why the medical requires more frequent ECGs with age. Having said that, an ECG pass, doesn't mean you are not going to be incapacitated by a stroke or heart attack at anytime. That is why it is always better to have two qualified and type rated pilots, which is the case with the queens flight.
In response to the above, whilst I am not a pilot, I can talk of incapacitation (from experience). As a very healthy and fit 34 year old, with regular medicals, and no history of any heart (or other) conditions, I feinted out of the blue (the first of 134 episodes in a 3 year period). Upon examination, no tests (ecg, tilt table, exercise stress test, repeated holter monitor testing and mri scans) could identify a definite cause - it was clear that this was a transient condition. Only following the implantation of an internal loop recorder, could a problem with my heart be found, or more to the point, the vagus nerve, which exercises a degree of control over blood pressure, which can lead to loss of consciousness. Without the loop recorder testing, there is no way to test for the potential for this condition in any person - no medical will pick this up.
It is far from my place to suggest this type of scenario could be linked to the accident, and in no way would I speculate as to the cause as simply put, I do not have the knowledge required to comment. What I am saying however is that certain conditions can cause an almost instantaneous loss of consciousness, irrespective of how fit or healthy the individual, and no amount of medical testing can rule out such possibilities. What I can also do is describe the sensation when this loss of consciousness occurs, with tunnel vision being the first stage, followed very briefly by intense dizziness and confusion - during such a time, you have very little capacity to action any rational movements or thoughts, particularly the first time, as it is pure confusion.
I do hope that the above wasn't the case, but whatever was the cause, it is a tragic and saddening accident.