Nearly two years after a private jet crashed in Virginia, killing four, the National Transportation Safety Board released their final report into the accident
Although investigators were not able to determine a likely cause for the crash, several questions remain unanswered
The victims were Adina Azarian, 49, her daughter Aria, 2, Aria’s nanny, Evadnie Smith, 56, and the pilot Jeff Hefner, 69
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) released their final report following an investigation into a June 2023 plane crash that killed four people.
On Wednesday, May 14, the NTSB revealed that the likely cause of the crash was “pilot incapacitation due to loss of cabin pressure for undetermined reasons.” Additionally, a contributing factor was listed as the “pilot’s and owner/operator’s decision to operate the airplane without supplemental oxygen.”
“Based on the available information, it is likely that the airplane occupants became hypoxic due to a lack of oxygen during the flight and became incapacitated, the NTSB wrote, noting that the symptoms of altitude-related hypoxia “are often vague and are experienced differently by different individuals,” but if not remedied or mitigated can lead to death.
On board at the time of the crash were Adina Azarian, 49, her daughter Aria, 2, Aria’s live-in nanny, Evadnie Smith, 56, and the pilot Jeff Hefner, 69.
In addition to not being able to determine exactly what led to the loss of cabin pressure, investigators were unable to determine whether that was something that happened quickly or over some time.
Jeff Hefner/Facebook
Jeff Hefner
The NTSB wrote that the pilot contacted Atlanta Air Route Traffic Control Center shortly after taking off from Elizabethton Municipal Airport in Tennessee shortly before 1:15 p.m. on June 4, 2023. However, around 15 minutes later, the pilot stopped responding to air traffic control despite “repeated attempts.”
Investigators say it is likely the pilot became incapacitated while climbing to that cruising altitude and that it’s likely that the plane was directed by autopilot for the rest of the flight, until the point where autopilot was no longer able to maintain control.
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After reaching an altitude of 34,000 feet, the plane continued to fly at that altitude — and about an hour later, it overflew its intended destination in Long Island and turned around, flying over Washington, D.C.
About two minutes before the crash, United Air Force Pilots were authorized to make contact with the plane — which led to a “sonic boom” heard by many nearby — and they observed seeing the pilot slumped over in his seat. Additionally, no movement was observed in any of the other passengers.
Then, at 3:22 p.m., the plane “entered a rapidly descending right spiral descent” and landed in a wooded area near Montebello, Va.
An investigation found that in the days and weeks before the crash, maintenance personnel noted a number of issues, including “several related to the pressurization and environmental control system” as well as a missing pilot-side oxygen mask.
The report noted that there was no evidence to suggest these issues were fixed before the flight.
According to the NTSB, the pilot did have medication conditions, including high blood pressure and cholesterol, and was prescribed medications that could lead to impairment. However, they found “no evidence” that the pilot was at an “exceptionally high incapacitation risk” or had used his medications inappropriately at the time of the crash.
“Based on the accident circumstances,” the NTSB wrote, “it is likely that all airplane occupants were incapacitated due to a common environmental condition, such as loss of cabin pressurization.”
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