Alan Diehl, an aviation psychologist who formerly worked for the FAA, said that depending on the jet's altitude as well as the pilot's age and health, he likely had minutes — or even less than a minute — to react as his brain suffered a decline in oxygen.
On Monday, it took investigators several hours to hike into the rural area where the plane crashed about 60 miles southwest of Charlottesville. They expect to be on the scene for at least three to four days.
At a briefing Monday, NTSB investigator Adam Gerhardt said the wreckage is “highly fragmented” and investigators will examine the most delicate evidence at the site, after which the wreckage will be moved, perhaps by helicopter, to Delaware, where it can be further examined. It was not clear if the plane had a flight data recorder. A preliminary report will be released in 10 days.
Preliminary information indicates the last air traffic control communication attempt with the airplane was at approximately 1:28 p.m., when the plane was at 31,000 feet , the NTSB said. About eight minutes later, the FAA reported the situation to the Domestic Events Network, which includes military, national security, homeland security and other law enforcement agencies.
The plane that crashed was registered to Encore Motors of Melbourne Inc in Florida. John Rumpel, a pilot who runs the company said his family was returning to their home on Long Island, after visiting his house in North Carolina.
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