NTSB: Pax Safely Lands King Air after Pilot Collapsed

A passenger with no pilot certificate landed a Beechcraft King Air C90A safely at Meadows Field Airport (KBFL) in Bakersfield, California, after the 78-year-old pilot lost consciousness during a flight on Oct. 4, 2024, according to a newly released NTSB final report. Guided by air traffic control, the passenger safely brought the turboprop twin to a straight-in landing following the pilot’s in-flight cardiac arrest. The pilot died from the medical event.

The airplane departed Las Vegas Henderson Executive Airport (KHND) on a Part 91 personal flight to California’s Monterey Regional Airport (KMRY), with the passenger and pilot aboard. At FL200, the pilot became unresponsive, and the passenger began CPR before radioing air traffic control, which provided navigation and operational guidance.

An autopsy performed by the Kern County Medical Examiner-Coroner attributed the pilot’s death to hypertensive and atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease, with a natural manner of death. Investigators found an enlarged heart weighing 620 grams, with all four chambers severely dilated; coronary artery disease narrowing three arteries by as much as 60%; and scarring consistent with a previous heart attack. The only traumatic injuries identified were rib and sternum fractures sustained during the passenger’s CPR efforts. The King Air was not damaged in the incident.