Private aircraft crash in Baltic Sea

[USERNAME_]

https://twitter.com/space_osint/status/1566483353590800384?s=21&t=D9616E7MibZMg0AI2UTQtQ

Looks like it went without ATC contact for a significant amount of time, was chased by French and German fighters before finally coming down in a spiral in the Baltic Sea a few hours ago.

[Liam_301]

I read pilot was believed to be unconscious with 15 mins of fuel left. Unable to find my source though since so take with a pinch of salt. Awful news.

[andrasz]

Bears all the hallmarks of a hypoxia event. According to some press reports last communications with French ATC mentioned a pressurisation issue. Single pilot plus 3 pax.

[treadigraph]

Yeah, sounds very similar to Payne Stewart and Tom Lampitt accidents... very sad.

[JanetFlight]

Forgive my ignorance... On EASA kingdom is it allowed a NCC operation in single pilot?
May their souls RIP

[DaveReidUK]

1979 Citation II SP, been on the Austrian register for a couple of years.

[andrasz]

On EASA kingdom is it allowed a NCC operation in single pilot?

If the aircraft is certified for single pilot, then yes. In this case it was (II/SP).

[Foxxster]

Yes, reports pilot radioed ATC indicating pressurisation issues shortly after takeoff. Should they not have descended immediately below 10,000 while putting on oxygen mask then land at nearest airport. Or just continue to fly and cross fingers.

[virginblue]

Forgive my ignorance... On EASA kingdom is it allowed a NCC operation in single pilot?
May their souls RIP

Pilot was an elderly millionaire entrepreneur who was the owner of the aircraft (through one of his companies). He used the aircraft to shuttle his family between his retirement home in Spain and Cologne (where he hailed from and is companies are based).

[Less Hair]

Lost contact within Spain after having reported pressurization issues right after takeoff, climbed and crossed half of Europe on autopilot accompanied by QRA fighters. Reports claim nobody sat in the cockpit later on.

[Airbanda]

Yes, reports pilot radioed ATC indicating pressurisation issues shortly after takeoff. Should they not have descended immediately below 10,000 while putting on oxygen mask then land at nearest airport. Or just continue to fly and cross fingers.

Not a pilot just a long term observer of the aviation scene but hypoxia is insidious. If he thought he'd solved the problem but had not, or just failed to act with required urgency then that's it. Conscious for a while but increasingly detached; like a drunk.

Who else remembers John Noakes, of Blue Peter fame (for non Brits a very long running children's TV magazine programme) in the hypoxia training 'tank' while training to jump with the Red Devils parachute team?

[virginblue]

I am not a pro, but I would guess that scenarios are quite different when it comes to trouble-shooting if a commercial pilot is in charge and the aircraft is operated on a day-to-day-basis or if, as in the case in question, the pilot was more or less a hobby pilot and the aircraft is a little-used personal steed (my understanding is that the aircraft sat on the gorund for quite some time in Spain while the family was holidaying there).

Interesting that the the pilot was confident enough to fly around his family as a single-pilot - he was, from what I can tell, well into his 70s and we are not talking about a Piper Cub here.. .

[EDLB]

A pilot has always to act professional regardless of plane complexity. All people died because of his decision making. Very sad
event.

[virginblue]

Sure. What I meant is that such a situation will be more challenging for moist "hobby" pilots than for commercial pilots, particularly if you are operating a pretty complex aircraft at 36.000 ft.

[guadaMB]

I am not a pro, but I would guess that scenarios are quite different when it comes to trouble-shooting if a commercial pilot is in charge and the aircraft is operated on a day-to-day-basis or if, as in the case in question, the pilot was more or less a hobby pilot and the aircraft is a little-used personal steed (my understanding is that the aircraft sat on the gorund for quite some time in Spain while the family was holidaying there).

Interesting that the the pilot was confident enough to fly around his family as a single-pilot - he was, from what I can tell, well into his 70s and we are not talking about a Piper Cub here.. .

The pilot (single pilot, 72yo and 50 years of piloting experience) was the owner of QUICK AIR (ambulances, medical aircraft, rent) besides other three aviation companies.
PAX: his wife (68), his daughter (27) and her fiancé and two dogs.
At monday 5th noon the known facts (in Spain) are the following:
- take off from Jerez de la Frontera (XRY-LEJR) to Colonia/Bonn (CGN-EDDK)
- first communication with Central Spain, "sector Toledo",# frecuencies Sector Toledo 133.75 381.25# in which the pilot (in a very bad communication quality due to extra sounds and statica) said there were PRESSURIZATION PROBLEMS.
- APPARENTLY no other comms were made with the AC.
- French, German, Danish and Lithuanian (AFAIK) fighters were on the chase and declared NOBODY IN THE COCKPIT.
- what happened later is in the posts of other fellows here.

My opinion: if you're experienced and are flying single and are carrying pax (also if you're alone, of course) and DETECT a pressurization problem, the first is to descend, communicate and aviate.
Strange thing: the pilot was NOT in his post of command.
May happened he had the issue, THOUGHT THAT WAS FIXED, went into AUTO and then into the cabin. The cabin depressurized AGAIN, all went wobbly and lost conscience and the AC continued till total fuel consumption (total journey 2000mi/3200kmin a straight line). RIP to all.

[virginblue]

The pilot (single pilot, 72yo and 50 years of piloting experience) was the owner of QUICK AIR (ambulances, medical aircraft, rent) besides other three aviation companies

Correct. But this aviation stuff was only his side job. His main job was, until semi-retirement, running Germany's 9th largest plant engineering company. He was an aviation buff, held a pilot's licience and invested money in some local aviation companies, but he was not a full-time aviation professional.

[172_driver]

- first communication with Central Spain, "sector Toledo",# frecuencies SectorToledo 133.75 381.25# in which the pilot (in a very bad communication quality due to extra sounds and statica) said there were PRESSURIZATION PROBLEMS.

Speculation from my side. The poor communication quality may have been the result of wearing the Oxygen Mask. However, the O2 bottle may have been depleted or shut off valve closed. Known to have happened, even in the airline world.

[aeromech3]

Re the above comments: Anyone know if this model has a cabin altitude warning?
On older model Gulfstreams I had worked on (even 1978 G2) they had considerable breathing O2 capacity to match their operating altitude and over water legs, guessing a little to reaching land meant not descending immediately below 10,000ft mostly because of the single pack!
The one time depressurization occurred at altitude (+38,000ft) the flight deck filled with mist, the pilots scrambled to get their mask on, as you don't have long to live let alone work, one knocking his reading glasses off then a descent and hasty search for the relevant Jeppesen.

[guadaMB]

Speculation from my side. The poor communication quality may have been the result of wearing the Oxygen Mask. However, the O2 bottle may have been depleted or shut off valve closed. Known to have happened, even in the airline world.
Sorry, but I'm not speculating.
​​I've got good info about the ONLY communication.

Going into bussiness: if you're in the NEED OF AN OXMASK, are carrying your family & dogs and make a call to the traffic controller DON'T YOU ASK FOR A DESCENT PERMISSION?
More: if you're with the mask ON and talking to the control you're surely ON YOUR SEAT.
What made you go into the cabin?
Three chasing observers said nobody was seen in the cockpit.
Too confusing...

​

[gearlever]

Re the above comments: Anyone know if this model has a cabin altitude warning?
On older model Gulfstreams I had worked on (even 1978 G2) they had considerable breathing O2 capacity to match their operating altitude and over water legs, guessing a little to reaching land meant not descending immediately below 10,000ft mostly because of the single pack !
The one time depressurization occurred at altitude (+38,000ft) the flight deck filled with mist, the pilots scrambled to get their mask on, as you don't have long to live let alone work, one knocking his reading glasses off then a decent and hasty search for the relevant Jeppesen.

Yes, C 550 has a cabin altitude warning.

Found in C550 MEL

[172_driver]

Sorry, but I'm not speculating.
​​I've got good info about the ONLY communication.

It was me speculating, based on your information :)

The first action any pilot should take following a decompression is to get the mask on. Not descending, not trouble shooting, just get the mask on. (later you can do the rest...)
If it's true that the communication was of poor quality, that could indicate the pilot did exactly what he was supposed to do - i.e. got the mask on. Speaking through the mask microphone may produce a lot of static.

The mystic part is that didn't prevent the pilot becoming incapacitated, hence I was speculating there was no O2 coming to the mask. If the masks are of the same design as airliners - diluter demand - you will still breath air but it won't be enriched with O2.

[aeromech3]

It was me speculating, based on your information :).
The mystic part is that didn't prevent the pilot becoming incapacitated, hence I was speculating there was no O2 coming to the mask. If the masks are of the same design as airliners - diluter demand - you will still breath air but it won't be enriched with O2.
From memory 100% is selected in operations I have been a flying spanner. Perhaps airliner crew might confirm the drill!
As a side, working on AA aircraft in the 1970's the cleaning of O2 masks was a night stop task, reason: one of 2 man crew had to be masked at cruise altitudes, I think it was above 25000', this was in the days before the boxed sweep on masks as they hung from a lanyard; and also when one crew member left the flight deck.

[421dog]

Relative to the “Hobby Pilot” moniker,
on this side of the pond, a type rating is required for all jet aircraft. It is conducted to ATP standards. I would assume this is an EU standard as well.
No doubt the guy screwed up as he’s dead, but impugning his level of training is not super appropriate. Sounds like a system failure that got by him in a catastrophic fashion.
Never really heard anyone fault the Paine Stewart flight crew (who both presumably screwed up, neglected to put on their quick dons, and passed out from hypoxia)

(Its not like this guy was was a well-trained ATPL who held a perfectly flyable Airbus in a stall from 40+K ft with multiple more senior pilots in attendance until it impacted the water and killed 2 or 3 hundred people.)

[172_driver]

From memory 100% is selected in operations I have been a flying spanner.

Yes, you're right, it should be 100%.

In the UPS6 accident the captain left his seat, never to return, after his mask failed. Presumably due to the fire.

[virginblue]

I was simply expressing my opinion that someone who flies his own personal aircraft every once in a while (and was apparently, as per the press, grounded for a considerable amount of time until recently because of ill health) will face bigger challenges in the event of a catastrophic failure than someone who is a commercial pilot and flies day and day out, e.g. when it comes to memory items and acting instinctively. Someone with 1 flight hour is as much type rated as someone with 15.000 flight hours, but I don't think anyone would regard them to be on the same level when it comes to handling potentially catastrophic, unusual problems. All I was saying that because of this it might take such a pilot slightly longer to assess the situation correctly, trouble-shoot appropriately etc. and at 36.000 every second counts. It does not mean that I am blaming anyone.

[Jetstream67]

RIP all

Pressurisation problem Quick call and thinking of holding altitude or decent
'Agitated passengers on your shoulder', Autopilot on if not already on (forgot it's set to climb?!?)
Told there's a whistling problem from near a door or window in the back . .
Go for a very quick look ??
Don't suppose we will ever know for sure

[timmermc]

Correct me if I'm wrong. But it seems that his daughter was one of the 3 pax on board and also a licensed pilot.
I presume she was also qualified to fly her father's Cessna airplane.

[B2N2]

1979 - that airplane was 43(!) years old.
No longer economical to operate in a charter environment, new paint and interior to be sold off to a private owner who was of age as well.
Doesn’t matter if a type rating needs to be flown to ATP standard, that’s a matter of training and only needs to be demonstrated once.
Maintaining proficiency is an entirely different animal.
Even being legal to operate doesn’t equal safe.
Let’s not pretend this was an unfortunate unavoidable accident.
This tragedy would have been entirely avoidable with a 2-pilot professional crew.

[421dog]

1979 - that airplane was 43(!) years old.
No longer economical to operate in a charter environment, new paint and interior to be sold off to a private owner who was of age as well.
Doesn’t matter if a type rating needs to be flown to ATP standard, that’s a matter of training and only needs to be demonstrated once.
Maintaining proficiency is an entirely different animal.
Even being legal to operate doesn’t equal safe.
Let’s not pretend this was an unfortunate unavoidable accident.
This tragedy would have been entirely avoidable with a 2-pilot professional crew.

I’ve gotta call bs…

I challenge you to find anyone, anywhere, who’s buzzing around (legally and insured) in a jet, single pilot, and isn’t required to undergo recurrent training annually, which requires at a minimum:
1)somebody trying to kill him in a simulator for at least 6 hrs
2) An IPC
3) A functional equivalent of a BFR
and,
4) A bunch of ground school

[421dog]

Oh, and parenthetically,(as an AME) after age 70, most insurance companies this side also require a real, live, FAA medical annually from any pilot of anything more complex than a 182…

[B2N2]

I’ve gotta call bs…

I challenge you to find anyone, anywhere, who’s buzzing around (legally and insured) in a jet, single pilot, and isn’t required to undergo recurrent training annually, which requires at a minimum:
1)somebody trying to kill him in a simulator for at least 6 hrs
2) An IPC
3) A functional equivalent of a BFR
and,
4) A bunch of ground school


I said Legal does not equal Proficient.
You’re also presenting it like it’s 4 different courses of training. By your username you know they’re rolled into one.
Canned ground school which is the same every year as it otherwise requires reapproval by insurance compagnies or authorities. Same three Systems covered. Pressurization, Electrical and Hydraulic.
3/4 of the sim profiles are flown on autopilot as automation is prioritized in single pilot operations. Five approaches on autopilot and one hand flown ILS.
Single engine missed approach is flown on autopilot.
Most instructors at providers such as CAE and Simuflight dislike these owner/pilot type ratings as the majority expects to be babysat.
There is also no limit on the repeat sessions unlike with a career pilot.
This character sued after his training provider failed him.
https://www.tennessean.com/story/news/2021/06/15/nntsb-releases-preliminary-report-osb-releases-preliminary-report-plane-crash-into-percy-priest-lake/7701982002/

[421dog]

I said Legal does not equal Proficient.
So are you asserting that this guy was flying around uninsured?
I, of course have no information to the contrary, but it at strikes me as odd that a bigwig exec would fly bareback with his family in a $1-2M
airplane which would only likely cost him $10k or so to cover hull and liability annually…

[B2N2]

So are you asserting that this guy was flying around uninsured?
I, of course have no information to the contrary, but it at strikes me as odd that a bigwig exec would fly bareback with his family in a $1-2M
airplane which would only likely cost him $10k or so to cover hull and liability annually…

I never said he was uninsured either.

[Less Hair]

He owned several business charter outfits, it's very likely that he had the correct paperwork done.

[421dog]

I’ll bet he had a bunch more hours than a lot of us who have flown for a living in more than “Cessnas”
it sucks that he’s dead, but cut him whatever slack is appropriate.
I’m sure they all died trying to do the right thing.

[421dog]

I said Legal does not equal Proficient.
You’re also presenting it like it’s 4 different courses of training. By your username you know they’re rolled into one.
Canned ground school which is the same every year as it otherwise requires reapproval by insurance compagnies or authorities. Same three Systems covered. Pressurization, Electrical and Hydraulic.
3/4 of the sim profiles are flown on autopilot as automation is prioritized in single pilot operations. Five approaches on autopilot and one hand flown ILS.
Single engine missed approach is flown on autopilot.
Most instructors at providers such as CAE and Simuflight dislike these owner/pilot type ratings as the majority expects to be babysat.
There is also no limit on the repeat sessions unlike with a career pilot.
This character sued after his training provider failed him.
https://www.tennessean.com/story/news/2021/06/15/nntsb-releases-preliminary-report-osb-releases-preliminary-report-plane-crash-into-percy-priest-lake/7701982002/

Wow.
all of us who fly pressurized * Turbine or Jet aircraft are functionally subject to the same rules. I personally could do q24 month recurrent on my pressurized piston stuff, but am still annually on turbines.
The place I fly with (RTC in Tampa Fla, USA) is collocated with a simulator manufacturer, and has never failed to disable the stec 55 autopilot in either their 421 or king air sim on an engine failure.

I’ve shut more than a few engines in my life,(for real) likely with a lot less experience than this guy, and have never scratched an airplane.
Cut him some slack until you have objective evidence that he wasn’t flummoxed

[Planemike]

Seem to recall a somewhat similar incident occurring some years back with an airliner, cannot recall type. Fairly sure it was in Europe. Buzzed by fighters to "inspect", crew were seen to be unconscious.

[treadigraph]

Seem to recall a somewhat similar incident occurring some years back with an airliner, cannot recall type. Fairly sure it was in Europe. Buzzed by fighters to "inspect", crew were seen to be unconscious.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Helios_Airways_Flight_522

[virginblue]

I’ll bet he had a bunch more hours than a lot of us who have flown for a living in more than “Cessnas”.

The media reporting that describes the pilot as the owner of "Quick Air" is misleading. One smallish division of his business conglomerate is aviation (ambulance flights, MRO), but he was never a pilot-turned-business-owner. This guy was an engineer who owned one of the largest plant construction businesses in Germany with an annual turnover of 150m EUR and 1.500+ employees. This aviation stuff was really just a side-show because he had a personal interest in aviation and at some point in his life when he had money to spare he ventured into that area (one of his sons is running that aspect of the family business, by the way). He had 50 years of flying experience under his belt, sure, but running his business empire did not allow him to fly that much. So yes, he was type-rated, he was sort of experienced, but not necessarily proficient. Looking at the flight history of the aircraft, it was flown typically 2 or 3 times a month (and not necessarily by him). Before the doomed flight, it had sat on the ground at XRY for 8 days.

[scifi]

Does anyone have a link to the FR24 radar of this flight, to see the altitude hold.
It seemed to overfly its' destination, then did two spiral dives into the ocean.

[Planemike]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Helios_Airways_Flight_522

Thanks treadi........! Oh good, I hadn't imagined it......!!

[Una Due Tfc]

Not a comment on this specific incident, just something for any “hobby” pilots reading from an ATCO: If you have a pressurisation issue, descend. Don’t worry about me, you don’t even need to warn me, I’ll know what’s going on when I see that FL dropping like a stone, and potentially selected FL in mode S. Just gimme a holler when you are on the way down and have all the more important stuff sorted (like squawking 7700) first.

My grumpier colleagues might get a bit rude, but at least you’ll be alive. Just my 2 cents.

[B2N2]

The media reporting that describes the pilot as the owner of "Quick Air" is misleading. One smallish division of his business conglomerate is aviation (ambulance flights, MRO), but he was never a pilot-turned-business-owner. This guy was an engineer who owned one of the largest plant construction businesses in Germany with an annual turnover of 150m EUR and 1.500+ employees. This aviation stuff was really just a side-show because he had a personal interest in aviation and at some point in his life when he had money to spare he ventured into that area (one of his sons is running that aspect of the family business, by the way). He had 50 years of flying experience under his belt, sure, but running his business empire did not allow him to fly that much. So yes, he was type-rated, he was sort of experienced, but not necessarily proficient. Looking at the flight history of the aircraft, it was flown typically 2 or 3 times a month (and not necessarily by him). Before the doomed flight, it had sat on the ground at XRY for 8 days.

Thank you.
I’ve personally flown with an individual that had been flying for 20 years and he had the grand total of 250hrs and couldn’t join a traffic pattern at a non towered airport if his life depended on it.
I’ve also had the pleasure of meeting an individual that at the time had 52,000 hrs.
Flown 1000 hrs a year, every year since he turned 18 and got his Commercial.
We all know or should know this is not about hours or years. Proficiency is a matter of recency and repetition.
He may have had a 1000 hrs he may have had 10,000. How many in make and model in the last 360,120,90,60,30 days? How often did he actually fly single pilot? I have a single pilot C525 type rating and have never flown single pilot.

[JanetFlight]

Allow me this question please... Being an airframe built in 79, and non AOC ops, besides the fact MTOM being above 5,7 tons, was or wasn't equipped with a CVR & FDR? Tks

[Confusious]

Allow me this question please... Being an airframe built in 79, and non AOC ops, besides the fact MTOM being above 5,7 tons, was or wasn't equipped with a CVR & FDR? Tks
I've been wondering the same. Have tried Google quite extensively but nothing definitive. Hopefully someone will know.

[B2N2]

Allow me this question please... Being an airframe built in 79, and non AOC ops, besides the fact MTOM being above 5,7 tons, was or wasn't equipped with a CVR & FDR? Tks

Prior to the sale this airframe/serial # was registered as N1HA, here is a spec page:

https://www.aircraft.com/aircraft/190011635/n1ha-1979-cessna-citation-iisp

If the aircraft can be salvaged then the data cards in the Garmin avionics may provide some insight if the salt water don’t damage them.

[421dog]

Not a comment on this specific incident, just something for any “hobby” pilots reading from an ATCO: If you have a pressurisation issue, descend. Don’t worry about me, you don’t even need to warn me, I’ll know what’s going on when I see that FL dropping like a stone, and potentially selected FL in mode S. Just gimme a holler when you are on the way down and have all the more important stuff sorted (like squawking 7700) first.

My grumpier colleagues might get a bit rude, but at least you’ll be alive. Just my 2 cents.

Well, don the quick don mask first, but yes, aviate, navigate, communicate….

[Right Hand Thread]

...t it at strikes me as odd that a bigwig exec would fly bareback with his family in a $1-2M
airplane...


$2m would buy you at least three of these aircraft, even in Europe.

[EDLB]

A pressurisation issue at 35000 feet is a killer item. You make a screaming descent to 10000, tell ATC if you have the bandwidth, and then sort it out. You might need to buy some Jet fuel or take a commercial flight from somewhere but you and your family is alive. My guess: "They will find out that the masks for the passengers came down and the pilot left his seat during AP set to 36000 feet to look after his passengers. Then he passed out too and the plane flew on AP until out of fuel."

[733driver]

Going into bussiness: if you're in the NEED OF AN OXMASK, are carrying your family & dogs and make a call to the traffic controller DON'T YOU ASK FOR A DESCENT PERMISSION?

​

No you don't. You just do it. Masks on, get down. everything else is less important.

[I-NNAV]

I will say something unpleasant, but it reminded me the PC12 crash in Milan Linate, (old folk with a fast and complex plane): if you have the money to buy and operate this kind of aircrafts maybe you should consider to throw a few bucks in a safety pilot. There's plenty of motivated young cpl's that would kill to seat in a cockpit and they can make the difference between a bad day and killing your family. In smaller and simpler airframes just put tour wife thru the first 10h of the PPL.
"Just my two cents"
evan

[EatMyShorts!]

I will say something unpleasant, but it reminded me the PC12 crash in Milan Linate, (old folk with a fast and complex plane): if you have the money to buy and operate this kind of aircrafts maybe you should consider to throw a few bucks in a safety pilot. There's plenty of motivated young cpl's that would kill to seat in a cockpit and they can make the difference between a bad day and killing your family. In smaller and simpler airframes just put tour wife thru the first 10h of the PPL.
"Just my two cents"Oh, you said JEHOVA! :oh: I also have the same opinion, but regularly receive flak for it... Don't make it a law, no we don't need this. But I wonder why some of those guys do not realize what danger they are exposing themselves to by flying single pilot.

[Less Hair]

His daughter, flying with him, is said to have been licensed as well.

[Discorde]

A complication in busy skies is the advisability of starting a max rate descent immediately after donning O2 masks. Excerpt from 'How To Do Well in the Sim'*:

When you call ‘MAYDAY’, if you're in busy airspace and you can get some sort of ATC clearance before you plummet, so much the better. It would be pointless doing the drill perfectly and then slamming into another aircraft beneath you on the way down. It's unlikely your TCAS will call out sensible RAs, nor those of nearby aircraft. The question is: ‘how long do I spend trying to get an emergency descent clearance before hypoxia begins to affect the passengers and cabin crew?’ And of course no-one can give you an answer – you must use your judgement as to when to start down if ATC can’t help.

This incident is another case of life (sadly) imitating art - the original draft of the novel 'Flight 935 Do You Read' (in which an airliner comes to grief after deliberate interference with the pressurisation system) was written in 1979-80.

*caveat: this article was written several years ago and procedures might have changed in the intervening period.

[EDLB]

Discorde
Are you serious? Time of usable conscience may be only 30 seconds. Descent immediate and tell ATC to sort their stuff out if you have the bandwidth. A Mayday with pressurization issue will do. The chances to bang into another plane from 36000 feet to 10000 feet are in all cases low compared to assured death in less than a few minutes. If you have an approved working Oxygen and some redundancy with a second pilot with a second mask and checked O2 flow is a different matter, but in the case of the accident plane an immediate descent is in order. Set the AP to 10000 feet in case you faint and will wake up later. It is similar to an engine failure in a single, You sort first out and make a plan how you get away in the most survivable way and then you talk to ATC.

The wife of the pilot Juliane was on board too and holds a CPL SEP from 1993. Why neither of the two pilots on board where seen in the cockpit remains a mystery. She was not certified for the plane but definitely able to do a descent to 10000 feet.

[340drvr]

Still haven't seen any reports that verify "nobody in the cockpit." (They probably can't verify until maybe wreckage recovery.) There's a big difference between that and "can't see anyone up front" (frosted windows, etc.).

[Less Hair]

There are contradicting reports. Some say nobody was observed sitting in the cockpit, others claim the opposite.

[F-16GUY]

Article in danish with video taken from the island of Bornholm, showing the aircraft being intercepted by RDAF QRA.

https://ekstrabladet.dk/krimi/kropsdele-fundet-efter-flystyrt-i-oestersoeen/9414304

[EDLB]

here you go.
https://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=20220904-0

[Less Hair]

I doubt that they were picked up by a tornado and not some eurofighter. They lost comms over Spain and have been accompanied during the flight by several QRAs.

[Confusious]

here you go.
https://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=20220904-0
Typo.
Reportedly the pilots could see anyone in the cockpit.

[aerobat77]

The fact he climbed to fl360 after reporting problems with pressurization system lets me assume the owner was the kind of pilot who likes to take some risk and continue with a questionable aircraft .

Beyond the question if the pilot was in the cabin or not i,m asking myself why none of the passengers was able to grab a mask that should be automatically deployed in the cabin ?

Was the oxygen bottle empty or not even installed , the system not operational ?

[B2N2]

The fact he climbed to fl360 after reporting problems with pressurization system lets me assume the owner was the kind of pilot who likes to take some risk and continue with a questionable aircraft .

Beyond the question if the pilot was in the cabin or not i,m asking myself why none of the passengers was able to grab a mask that should be automatically deployed in the cabin ?

Was the oxygen bottle empty or not even installed , the system not operational ?

The fact the aircraft continued to climb indicates it was on autopilot and simply did what it was programmed to do.
Climb to preset altitude and fly programmed route.

[meleagertoo]

I'm not at all convinced that he contacted ATC with a report of pressurisation problems until he was at cruise altitude or close to it. Statements above on the lines of "shortly after takeoff" do not align with the Toledo sector being at least 100 miles N of Jerez, his departure point.

Anyone familiar on type?
Where is the O2 bottle mounted? Is it (and the tap) accessible in flight?
A non-functioning mask (bottle empty/tap off) could be a possible reason to leave one's seat?

Also, the Baltic is shallow. There's every possibility of salvage.

[Hogg]

Anyone familiar on type?
Where is the O2 bottle mounted? Is it (and the tap) accessible in flight?


Hi its either in the Nose Compartment along with the Regulator On/Off valve or in the Tail Cone area. In 1985 there was a SB 550-35-1 released by Cessna about moving the Cylinder to the Tail Cone area. I don't know if this aircraft had it carried out.

[meleagertoo]

Would the "tail cone area" be accessible in flight?

[aerobat77]

The fact the aircraft continued to climb indicates it was on autopilot and simply did what it was programmed to do.
Climb to preset altitude and fly programmed route.

No . The 551 is a fine but elderly bird without fancy stuff like autothrottle or sophisticated vnav . If he would faint at significantly lower altitudes during climb and leave the aircraft alone without further advancing throttles and reducing vs when getting higher the aircraft would simply run out of IAS and stall.

This is especially true when we realize that asking a 551 on a hot spanish summer day with full tanks straight away to fl 360 is on the upper edge of performance and the last thousands are going sloooowly.

The climbout was at least very close to top of climb pilot assisted .

[B2N2]

No . The 551 is a fine but elderly bird without fancy stuff like autothrottle or sophisticated vnav . If he would faint at significantly lower altitudes during climb and leave the aircraft alone without further advancing throttles and reducing vs when getting higher the aircraft would simply run out of IAS and stall.

This is especially true when we realize that asking a 551 on a hot spanish summer day with full tanks straight away to fl 360 is on the upper edge of performance and the last thousands are going sloooowly.

The climbout was at least very close to top of climb pilot assisted .

Thanks for the additional info.
My experience is limited to ‘02-‘04 525’s and even that was long enough ago that I don’t remember.

[Sepp]

Would the "tail cone area" be accessible in flight?
No, it is not.

[RatherBeFlying]

There is a possibility that the pilot decided to continue on oxygen, but civilian passengers and many civilian crew are not used to being on oxygen for extended periods.

Emergency passenger oxygen is designed to keep them alive long enough to regain a viable altitude.

The real problem is that you won't realise that you have a problem in time to fix it.

Above 16,000 I'm watching my pulse oximeter.

Another possibility is that the pilot lost useful consciousness before he could effectively manage the problem. Older people and/or those with reduced lung function may need oxygen at lower altitudes.

[aerobat77]

B2N2 - you,re welcome !


Where is the O2 bottle mounted? Is it (and the tap) accessible in flight?
A non-functioning mask (bottle empty/tap off) could be a possible reason to leave one's seat?
Maybe not for the bottle since its like previously said not accessible but of course it could be as easy as he went to the cabin to look for e.g a hissing entry door seal and all of the sudden the seal blew then .

It would indeed be very interesting to learn WHEN he reported pressurization problems - during early climbout or at cruise ?

The crucial question for me like written : was the oxygen system operational at all ??? Nobody was able to grab the mask ?

[what next]

The 551 is a fine but elderly bird without fancy stuff like autothrottle or sophisticated vnav.

But since this one was cleared to FL360 it must have been RVSM approved and therefore had the required equipment installed. One of the postings further up this thread has a link to a sales advert of this same airframe whilst on it's original N registration. You can clearly see that some modern avionics have been fitted. I would assume that it had some form of altitude pre-select available ("altitude alert" is required for RVSM certification and one usually does not come without the other). If it was climbing in "flight level change" mode (which is speed/mach hold in Cessna language) with the throttles set to climb thrust it will eventually and safely reach FL360, however long that takes. Therefore I am not convinced that the pilot actively flew the plane during the entire climb. He may well have dialled in 36.000ft when he received the clearance and fainted any time thereafter.

[bobbytables]

Apologies if this is a daft question, not having ever flown a jet.

If the pressurisation problem started at FL360, and for whatever reason oxy didn't work, one would hopefully be able to dial in 10,000ft for a descent on autopilot with the time available before fainting, with the expectation that you'd wake up later on as the cabin altitude decreases.

It seems that this pilot didn't do that, for whatever reason, so this is more of a hypothetical question.

On a jet like this without autothrottle, how would you set the thrust in this situation? Idle seems appropriate for a max rate descent if you're in control, but in case you don't wake up before autopilot levels off at 10,000ft, idle is going to be problematic...

[172_driver]

bobbytables,

Your thought is reasonable. Without knowing the specifics about the pressurization problem there is a good chance the startle factor (from a non-working O2 mask) and TUC (time of useful conciousness) precluded that. If the decompression was slow there is a greater chance of that working. All training assumes the O2-system is working though, any other creative solution to the problem is a bonus.

Idle would be your best bet and if it got that far. You just have to assume you will wake up.

[FlightDetent]

ToUC numbers are quite frightening although applicable to a sudden and complete loss of pressurisation.

There is a lucky moment in that, the situation is clearly understood at once by a qualified pilot, recency and proficiency level regardless. Which triggers the drill and steers the actions towards a survivable outcome.

Different from the above, all the events disussed here evolved into tragedies while their crews were not sufficiently aware how critical the pressurisation problem was.



​​​​​

[treadigraph]

Therefore I am not convinced that the pilot actively flew the plane during the entire climb. He may well have dialled in 36.000ft when he received the clearance and fainted any time thereafter.

The aircraft turned on to a ENE course near Paris and altered course several times between there and Cologne; would those changes be pre-programmed into the A/P or require intervention by the pilot?

[Uplinker]

A complication in busy skies is the advisability of starting a max rate descent immediately after donning O2 masks. Excerpt from 'How To Do Well in the Sim'*:

When you call ‘MAYDAY’, if you're in busy airspace and you can get some sort of ATC clearance before you plummet, so much the better. It would be pointless doing the drill perfectly and then slamming into another aircraft beneath you on the way down. It's unlikely your TCAS will call out sensible RAs, nor those of nearby aircraft. The question is: ‘how long do I spend trying to get an emergency descent clearance before hypoxia begins to affect the passengers and cabin crew?’ And of course no-one can give you an answer – you must use your judgement as to when to start down if ATC can’t help.

*caveat: this article was written several years ago and procedures might have changed in the intervening period.

Sorry but that SIM article is nonsense.

You don't ask ATC and wait for a clearance in an emergency.

You do the drill*. You fly the escape manoeuvre**. You keep clear of terrain. Then you talk to ATC.

Aviate, Navigate, Communicate.

* The drill might include making a brief "MAYDAY" call.
** Which for an emergency descent usually involves turning out of the airway.

[Sepp]

The aircraft turned on to a ENE course near Paris and altered course several times between there and Cologne; would those changes be pre-programmed into the A/P or require intervention by the pilot?

If you're in HDG mode, it requires intervention. If in NAV, it'll happily do it itself.

[treadigraph]

Thankyou Sepp!

[Discorde]

. . . which for an emergency descent usually involves turning out of the airway

'Turning out of the airway' might be impossible in some congested regions of airspace with many aircraft on direct routings, such as the NE or SW US or NW Europe.

An aircraft dropping through the levels at a very high rate of descent might trigger an avalanche of interreacting TCAS RAs in surrounding traffic which in turn might jeopardise safe separations.

Can modern ATC and TCAS systems adequately deal with such an event? (I ask as someone who retired from the business 14 years ago.)

[Prada]

Still haven't seen any reports that verify "nobody in the cockpit." (They probably can't verify until maybe wreckage recovery.) There's a big difference between that and "can't see anyone up front" (frosted windows, etc.).

The cockpit in this aircraft is very small. It is impossible for a person, sitting in the captain seat to fall over, so that he can not be seen from outside. Thus, he must have left the cockpit. Fighter pilots flew very close to the jet and had plenty of time to choose position and check the windows.

[Sepp]

Thankyou Sepp!

My pleasure!

For those who are interested, I've attached an oxygen system schematic and depiction of the pressurisation system controls (I don't know the accident airctaft's unit number, so included both types). Std checks include checking for flow at the crew masks... I have flown with private owners who wanted to just look at the gauge and say "sufficient".

To answer what next's query: yes, with an altitude dialled into the selector you get an amber light and ping at one thousand to go, the light goes off at 300 to go (or possibly capture, it's been quite a while since I flew one, and the noggin is full of new stuff) and, provided ASEL is armed, the aircraft will capture the selected alt. If you bust the level by 300 ft, you get the same ping and amber light.

Point of order from an earlier post: the 551 has a TOM limited to 12,500lbs. When I passed my 500-series rating back in 89 (in a UK-reg 550) it came with the 501 and 551 included. I understand other authorities treat the aircraft differently (although the 551 is for all intents and purposes identical to an equivalent 550, except for various placards, the ramp and TOM restrictions, and a slightly different panel layout for single pilot ops).

https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/pprune.org-vbulletin/839x862/2022_09_07_124332_40c5a0df730e5184816630701010ef7096e867f0.j pg
C550/551 oxygen system schematic



https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/pprune.org-vbulletin/1022x1098/2022_09_07_124415_95d237b319e445ad2c31bbde3f55b9b8c3733b2d.j pg
C550/551 pressurisation control panel

[FlightDetent]

An aircraft dropping through the levels at a very high rate of descent might trigger an avalanche of interreacting TCAS RAs in surrounding traffic which in turn might jeopardise safe separations.

Can modern ATC and TCAS systems adequately deal with such an event? (I ask as someone who retired from the business 14 years ago.)To my understanding the adverse effect is negligeable, the case is well understood and contained by ACAS II specification.

Upon closer inspection, the actual RAs caused by the hypothetical airplane slicing through busy levels from the above will not be that many. Without ATC coordination that is.

(Answering as someone who stopped teaching TCAS 7.0 vs. 6.04 in EUR RVSM airspace also 14 years ago :E)

[Hogg]

Yesterday I spoke to a line engineer who works for various companies in Europe on a few biz jets types and he remarked that when some of these aircraft are on longish layovers a procedure is to turn off the oxygen valve in hot conditions to stop any leaking. Anyone hear of this procedure?

[Discorde]

To my understanding the adverse effect is negligeable, the case is well understood and contained by ACAS II specification.

Upon closer inspection, the actual RAs caused by the hypothetical airplane slicing through busy levels from the above will not be that many. Without ATC coordination that is.

(Answering as someone who stopped teaching TCAS 7.0 vs. 6.04 in EUR RVSM airspace also 14 years ago :E)

Thanks for that. It comes down to risk assessment from competing requirements. It would indeed be very unlikely (and very unlucky) if an aircraft initiating an emergency descent for any reason before coordination with ATC happened to collide with another not far below it. A delay before initiating descent might subject cabin crew and passengers to risk of hypoxia (because their masks do not supply oxygen under pressure) but might prevent a catastrophic loss of life resulting from a midair collision.

[Uplinker]

'Turning out of the airway' might be impossible in some congested regions of airspace with many aircraft on direct routings, such as the NE or SW US or NW Europe.

An aircraft dropping through the levels at a very high rate of descent might trigger an avalanche of interreacting TCAS RAs in surrounding traffic which in turn might jeopardise safe separations.

Can modern ATC and TCAS systems adequately deal with such an event? (I ask as someone who retired from the business 14 years ago.)

The country's AIP will advise about remaining in, or turning out of an airway during an Emerg. Des, which is why I said 'usually' and is something you need to be aware of in advance.

As for TCAS, well that's why one of the PM memory actions for Emergency Descent is to select TCAS to TA only: Your own aircraft won't then be asked to react to conflicts, but any others around - who are more capable to respond - will be.

[what next]

Anyone hear of this procedure?

No. I have been flying 500-series Citations (Bravo, Ultra, Encore) since 15 years and have never heard of that practice. On all the ones that I flew and still fly the oxygen tank shutoff valve is not accessible without using tools anyway, completely out of reach so to say.
Many of these aircraft still carry an emergency oxygen bottle in the cabin though (intended to be used for passengers with health issues). If the pilot of this flight had an issue with his oxygen system he might have tried to get to that emergency bottle. That might explain why he could not be seen in the cockpit.

[FlightDetent]

As for TCAS, well that's why one of the PM memory actions for Emergency Descent is to select TCAS to TA only: Your own aircraft won't then be asked to react to conflicts, but any others around - who are more capable to respond - will be.Sorry, not the OEM guidance on the types you are familiar with. As a result of the risk assessment, TA/only is not a part of the procedure in any of the phases (memory, ECAM, QRH).

Exactly the opposite, in the case of a justified RA during the descent it is significantly better to observe it even with the slightest change of V/S to increase the chances of the other plane getting out of the way. The crew is better off being informed than clueless. Context is important here, any such RA will only be triggered in the descent (as a result of) thus in a phase of the EMERG DES procedure which is no longer critical.

The key survival points are actually only 2: Establish the descent, get the crew on oxygen (alphabetical order). What kills, again and again, is when crews don't understand the time to act is now.

[Sepp]

...
Many of these aircraft still carry an emergency oxygen bottle in the cabin though (intended to be used for passengers with health issues). If the pilot of this flight had an issue with his oxygen system he might have tried to get to that emergency bottle. That might explain why he could not be seen in the cockpit.

That is a very good point, that is. In our old 500, the theraputic oxy bottle was at the back of the cabin. 550s didn't have one.

[Jack D]

Probably a daft question but I presume the O2 cylinder pressure gauge is readable from somewhere in the cockpit on this a/c type ?

[EatMyShorts!]

The key survival points are actually only 2: Establish the descent, get the crew on oxygen (alphabetical order). What kills, again and again, is when crews don't understand the time to act is now.Hell, no!! The first point is always to don O2-masks, establish communication and only then initiate the emergency descent. Never the other way around. Never ever.

[what next]

Probably a daft question but I presume the O2 cylinder pressure gauge is readable from somewhere in the cockpit on this a/c type ?

Yes it is at the far right side of the instrument panel. A purely pneumatic gauge that requires no electricity to work and will always show the pressure in the oxygen pipe coming into the cabin.
There is a remote chance that it will display the pressure of oxygen trapped in the system in case the valve of the oxygen tank was closed. Therefore it is usual practise is to press the test knob of each crew oxygen mask a couple of times, thereby releasing oxygen through the mask, and watch if the pressure indication stays constant.

[B2N2]

Yesterday I spoke to a line engineer who works for various companies in Europe on a few biz jets types and he remarked that when some of these aircraft are on longish layovers a procedure is to turn off the oxygen valve in hot conditions to stop any leaking. Anyone hear of this procedure?

It wouldn’t be unusual in case of a leaky mask.
Or upon arrival requested an oxygen top off and the bottle valve was left closed.
Without wearing the shoulder harness it’s possible to end up with the upper body slumped over on the empty co-pilot seat.
I find it very challenging to have to hand fly a single pilot fighter at FL360 close enough to be able to see any but the very obvious, no face in the window.
In the case of Steward Payne’s Learjet the windows were also frosted over.

[aeromech3]

Ref to Hogg and B2N2, Whilst O2 bottle might have an over-pressure relief (overboard) it would need the likes of a fire to cause bottle pressure to reach that relief level; sub zero conditions might cause seals to leak and I had this once with a B747 classic (bottle O2 stowage in forward hold) where it almost lost all its O2, only luckilly at a USAF station and they had plenty. As per Sepp's schematic, the aircraft had remote fill point, if the bottle is shut off you cannot fill. British built aircraft had left hand thread fill union (not aware of Euro etc) USA built had right hand; some Countries / airports do not allow on-board O2 re-charging; in fact in Asia there are some major airports which do not allow O2 on base and I have had to remove bottles and have them taken off airport. It is possible, that a long layover procedure might be to close O2 bottle, but this is not standard and likely a maintenance task; if left closed then the pre-departure check of masks would quickly dispel the manifold pressure and the bottle would read zero!

[Runaway Gun]

My training was to don the mask, begin descent (veering off track if necessary) and then lastly put out a Mayday.

[EDLB]

Hell, no!! The first point is always to don O2-masks, establish communication and only then initiate the emergency descent. Never the other way around. Never ever.
How long may it take to estabish communication with ATC? 1 minute, easy may be more. With 30 seconds of usable conscience at 30+ thousand feet if things go really wrong with fast dropping cabin altitude that is a Helios 522 recipe. With two pilots, tested O2 system and slow reducing cabin pressure a possible way. But think an Aloha airlines 243 event at 30000. It happened at 24000 feet which is much more survivable if you go down quick. Communicate comes last. You may set 7700 while descending, and then talk to ATC if the descend and O2 is established.
The captain is in command not ATC. In an live threatening emergency all air traffic regulations come in second.

[FlightDetent]

Perhaps we should not overexpress individual drills that have slight variances dependant on the SHELL of day. See note about the alphabetical order above.
​
The stick seems to be of identical lenght, only the lighting casts a different shadow. :}





​​​​​​

[Uplinker]

Sorry, my bad, (#88), I was thinking of engine failure actions :ugh:

Time for some revision !

[172_driver]

Perhaps we should not overexpress individual drills that have slight variances dependant on the SHELL of day. See note about the alphabetical order above.

Individual drills? I can only assume you're thinking of a scenario where you are loosing cabin pressure but the warning horn for excess cabin altitude has yet not gone off?

For a proper decompression with all bells & whistles I can't believe anyone trains other than get the oxygen mask on first!?

[aerobat77]

The captain is in command not ATC. In an live threatening emergency all air traffic regulations come in second.

It is not about regulations , it is about common sense . The scenario of a rapid decompression always assumes a working oxygen system and always assumes you put on your mask quickly as the first action . It assumes you stay concious .
In this case the situation is stabilized enough to have few seconds to at least announce an emergency descend to ATC .

If you are about to cross another aircraft 1000 feet below you and just push the column hard forward no atc in the world will have time to sort out anything .

Finally : its about you , if you crash in another aircraft nobody will sue you , if not nobody will sue you either for an unanounced emer descend but you should use common sense if it is really that smart to just go into a dive when your mask is on and working .

[what next]

Individual drills?

Even if individual drills are used, these are based on the manufacturer's checklists and/or recommendations. And I am pretty much convinced (or more precisely: 100 percent certain) that there is no manufacturer of pressurised aircraft and no training provider who does not put "don oxygen masks" on top of every checklist related to pressurisation problems.

By the way: I just looked up the loss-of-pressurisation followed by emergency descent checklist of the plane I fly today - also a 500 series Cessna but different model from the accident aircraft: Cessna lists "communicate with ATC" as item number 10 on the list.

And regarding "turning away from the airways" before starting the emergency descent: This is not done in Europe since a long time. And makes little sense because one after the other the countries in Europe are getting rid of their airway systems altogether. With all planes flying between waypoints on individual tracks.

[Discorde]

Judging from posts here it sounds as if the Rapid Depressurisation and Emergency Descent checklists have not changed in recent years. But those checklists originated many decades ago when high altitude civilian air traffic was very much lighter than today's. The chances of collision resulting from an uncoordinated rapid descent in those years were probably deemed to be infinitesimally small, and therefore acceptable. Perhaps that's no longer a valid deduction.

[EDLB]

Anyone knows how long a descend from 36000 feet to 10000 feet takes with speedbrakes in a 551? My gues is <10 minutes. So before a single pilot crawls to the passenger compartment thats what you first do.

[bsieker]

According to news sites, the German BFU will anaylse the accident. Does anybody know why? This wasn't in German airspace, and the aircraft has an Austrian registration, so they shouldn't normally be the state to institute the investigation. The operator is German, but in order of preference, according to ICAO Annex 13, that comes third after the state of registry.

Cheers,
Bernd

[Less Hair]

Isn't BFU entitled to initiate investigations whenever they feel it might be interesting to them? There is a german owner, PIC, destination, base and all occupants are german to start with.

[bsieker]

Isn't BFU entitled to initiate investigations whenever they feel it might be interesting to them? There is a german owner, PIC, destination, base and all occupants are german to start with.
ICAO Annex 13 regulates that quite clearly.

5.1 The State of Occurrence shall institute an investigation [...]

5.1.2 If the The State of Occurrence does not institute [...] an investigation, [...] the State of Registry or, in the following order, the State of the Operator, the State of Design or the State Manufacture [...] should institute and conduct the investigation [...]

There are lots of other provisions for tasking other states with the investigation, so maybe Latvia has asked Germany to do it, because they are not as well equipped.

Cheers,
Bernd

[DaveReidUK]

In fact it's a moot point as to where the "State of Occurrence" was - the occurrence, for the purpose of Annex 13 being the death of those on board. That could well have happened over Germany.

[what next]

Anyone knows how long a descend from 36000 feet to 10000 feet takes with speedbrakes in a 551?
You can expect around 5000ft/min average rate of descent. Something like five minutes. In the simulator it feels longer...

News reports are just out that the wreckage has been located. And it was confirmed that the aircraft was not equipped with either FDR or CVR. That's going to be a difficult investigation.

[bsieker]

In fact it's a moot point as to where the "State of Occurrence" was - the occurrence, for the purpose of Annex 13 being the death of those on board. That could well have happened over Germany.

An accident is signified by either substantial damage to the aircraft or the death or serious injury of occupants. Since the exact location of the deaths cannot be determined a priori, I don't think anyone would disagree that the location of the accident is taken to be the crash site in this case.

Is there precedent that the location of the deaths was taken as the State of Occurrence instead of the subsequent crash site? I can't remember any accident where that was the case, but I might be wrong.

Cheers,
Bernd

[what next]

An accident is signified by either substantial damage to the aircraft or the death or serious injury of occupants. Since the exact location of the deaths cannot be determined a priori, I don't think anyone would disagree that the location of the accident is taken to be the crash site in this case.

I think it's much simpler than that. The relevant European regulation (*) reads (article 6 para. 2): "2. A safety investigation authority may delegate the task of conducting an investigation into an accident or serious incident to another safety investigation authority subject to mutual agreement and shall facilitate the investigation process by that other authority." Latvia has no connection to this accident other that by pure chance (or bad luck) the aircraft ran out of fuel over Latvian waters.

(*) REGULATION (EU) No 996/2010 OF THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND OF THE COUNCIL https://eur-lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/LexUriServ.do?uri=OJ:L:2010:295:0035:0050:EN:PDF (https://eur-lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/LexUriServ.do?uri=OJ:L:2010:295:0035:0050)

[172_driver]

Even if individual drills are used, these are based on the manufacturer's checklists and/or recommendations. And I am pretty much convinced (or more precisely: 100 percent certain) that there is no manufacturer of pressurised aircraft and no training provider who does not put "don oxygen masks" on top of every checklist related to pressurisation problems.

I think it's common sense to safe guard yourself against hypoxia, if in doubt get the mask on!
But no, there are checklists that involve pressurisation that don't have memory items and don't instruct you to put the mask on. On the 737 a dual pack trip off means your cabin altitude will increase at leakage rate. An unscheduled pressurisation change tells you to increase thrust to ensure air supply to the cabin. None explicitly states where and when to put the mask on. Press. problems can come in different shapes and forms.

[pilotmike]

How long may it take to estabish communication with ATC? 1 minute, easy may be more. With 30 seconds of usable conscience at 30+ thousand feet if things go really wrong with fast dropping cabin altitude that is a Helios 522 recipe.
The "Establish communication" is with the other pilot (for 2 crew operation), NOT with ATC! Please tell us you knew that and were just trying to wind us up?

EatMyShorts had it exactly right.

Don masks
Establish communication
Emergency descent

[B2N2]

Part of the preflight of the Citation series is to check the outside O2 over pressure relief valve or disk.
1. O2 may have been empty
2. O2 may have been turned off
That can probably be verified if the wreckage is brought up.
Anything else what the pilot may or may not have done is conjecture.

[givemewings]

That is a very good point, that is. In our old 500, the theraputic oxy bottle was at the back of the cabin. 550s didn't have one.
in an industry so reliant on redundancies, it surprises me that a portable bottle isn't standard equipment for any pressurised aircraft with a stand up pax cabin (CC background here)

[what next]

... it surprises me that a portable bottle isn't standard equipment for any pressurised aircraft with a stand up pax cabin (CC background here)

This series of Citations do not have a stand up pax cabin. Space inside the cabin is a little tight, especially when all seats are occupied. The usage of the portable therapeutic oxygen bottle is very difficult in such a confined space, especially for persons not properly trained for it (e.g. paramedics). The company I fly for had them removed many years ago.

Anything else what the pilot may or may not have done is conjecture.

There are quite a few things that can be deducted from the state of the wreckage like: Was the pilot's seat belt buckled-up or open? Was his quick donning mask connected to the oxygen outlet? What was the setting of the pressurisation controls - they are mechanical in this aircraft, whatever values were set should still be visible. What position were the switches in that control the pressurisation system? There is a bleed-air selector, an automatic/manual switch and an emergency dump switch. Did the masks in the cabin drop?

[threep]

SLF and engineer in aerospace industry.
The depressurization report was near Toledo. High ground in central Spain is at about 2500m. A direct line from Jerez de la Frontera to Cologne would take take you over the Pyrenees which has 3000m peaks.
What happens if you have depressurisation whilst flying over high terrain? Could the thought of emergency decent above high terrain delay the decision making perhaps? What altitude would you be comfortable making an emergency descent to, a thousand feet above the highest terrain in the area? Do you pre-plan that emergency descent altitude if the flight plan takes you over high ground? Just curious.

[bobbytables]

Minimum safe altitude is charted, the pilot doesn't have to guess. 1000ft above the Pyrenees would put you around 11000ft which should be OK for as long as it takes to get somewhere with a lower MSA.

In areas with very high terrain (much higher than Pyrenees), you usually have to plot escape routes in advance and satisfy the regulator before you'll be allowed to plan flights on those airways. For example L888 or Y1, Y2, Y3 in China.

[Less Hair]

As far as I understand (too many contradicting reports), the final call came at top of climb with actual pressurization issues reported? Why didn't they descend right away? Did the pilot just black out during the call? Were they on masks already?

[FlightDetent]

Do you pre-plan that emergency descent altitude if the flight plan takes you over high ground?
Absolutely. Not allowed to cross the region otherwise.

Terrain-safe charted altitudes in mountaineous areas provide 2000 ft obstacle clearance.

[B2N2]

Anything on recovery attempts?