The story of the N47BA, the plane that flew when the whole crew may have died

Posted On: May 27, 2023

COMPAS.com – In 1999, a chartered business jet, Learjet Model 35, with six people on board was to fly from Orlando, Florida to Dallas, Texas, USA.

The plane, registration N47BA, managed to climb to a predetermined altitude.

However, quoted from IFL SciencesMonday (5/22/2023), instead of heading to Dallas, this plane actually flew directly to Canada.

No contact can be established with the crew. Military jets rushed to intercept this phantom flight lest something bad happen.

Unfortunately, at that time, October 25, 1999, most people didn’t realize that probably everyone in N47BA was unconscious or even dead.

Contact was lost shortly after takeoff

According to the news CNN (10/25/1999), That morning, while the plane was still over Gainesville, Florida, flight controllers suddenly reported that they had lost radio contact.

Initially, around 9:20 a.m. local time, this chartered plane took off as usual and began to climb to an altitude of 11,900 meters above sea level, the height that had been previously agreed.

At 7,000 meters, radio contact indicated that everything was working normally. However, this radio contact was the last known connection from the Learjet 35.

Four minutes later, contact with the aircraft was resumed, but there was no response.

Officers also made several attempts to track N47BA, including sounding the alarm as a sign of United States Air Force (US) involvement.

Shortly after, a pilot testing an F-16 fighter, Colonel Olson, was ordered to intercept the N47BA.

Unable to see the cockpit

While the fighter was about 600 meters from the Learjet 35, at an altitude of about 14,100 meters, Olson made two radio calls but received no response.

The F-16 pilots performed a visual inspection of the charter aircraft and found no visible damage to the fuselage.

Both engines were running and the aircraft’s red anti-collision beacon was still flashing.

However, Olson could not see the cockpit because the windows were opaque, as if covered in dew or ice.

As a result, the military at that time could not see and identify the crew of the charter flight.

Also from IFL Science, nearly three hours after losing contact, two Oklahoma Air National Guard F-16 fighter jets flew in to intercept the Learjet 35.

The first pilot reported that he could see no movement in the cockpit. The windshield also looks dark and I don’t know if it’s caused by frost or something else.

Speculation is ready to shoot

Several speculations spread, including the case of the Pentagon or the headquarters of the United States Department of Defense ready to shoot down the N47BA if it landed in a populated area.

However, as reported CNN (26/10/1999), the Pentagon argued and said that shooting was never an option.

On the other hand, the Canadian prime minister at the time, Jean Chrétien, admitted that if the Learjet Model 35 entered his country’s airspace, he allowed it to be shot down.

The reason is that Jean Chrétien feared that the chartered plane from a nearby area would land in Winnipeg, Canada.

Until shortly thereafter, the aircraft, which was only carrying fuel for a four-and-a-half-hour flight time, ran out of power and descended in a spiral.

Plane crash

According to a witness, the fall of N47BA completely spiraled out of control, hurtling towards the ground at supersonic speed.

The N47BA plane crashed on flat ground in the state of South Dakota, leaving a wide crater trail.

Following this incident, two pilots and four passengers were declared unsafe, with the identities:

Michael Kling (pilot)
Stephanie Bellegarrigue (pilot)
Payne Stewart (passenger; PGA golfer)
Robert Fraley (passenger; former Alabama football linebacker)
Stewart Van Arden (passenger; agency president)
Bruce Borland (passenger; Jack Nicklaus Company golf course architect).

Depressurization triggers unconsciousness

A few minutes after the last contact, it was determined that depressurization had occurred, a situation where atmospheric pressure drops in the aircraft cabin.

It is still unclear why or how quickly this happened, but the crew was never given oxygen until they lost consciousness.

When depressurization hits, those on board suffer cognitive impairment and lose consciousness.

As a result, the pilot was “paralyzed”, but the aircraft’s altitude and course could still be controlled by the autopilot.

Came until the autopilot could no longer sustain, the plane then slid after nearly four hours of flying with no one at the wheel.

Although the cause of the depressurization is unknown, black box images show no signs of life in the final minutes of the flight.

This indicates the possibility that all crew members were unconscious or died shortly after last contact.

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Vince Corbyn

“Tvaholic. Beer guru. Lifelong internet nerd. Infuriatingly humble pop culture scholar. Friendly food advocate. Freelance alcohol fan. Incurable bacon ninja.”