SAN DIEGO (KGTV) - A small plane owned by a renowned researcher has disappeared hundreds of miles off the coast of San Diego after the pilot became unresponsive.
Just before 2 p.m. Sunday, the single-engine Cessna TTX was about 8 miles out and was cleared to approach at Montgomery-Gibbs Airport. The landing never happened.
"He was on a good heading to intercept the final approach for Montgomery, but then never turned on the final," said Rich Martindell, pilot and former aircraft accident investigator.
During the flight, which originated in Ramona, it appears something went wrong suddenly. The pilot never responded to the tower.
"It was just after he turned southwest that the long straight line begins. It looks very indicative of a loss of consciousness or incapacitation," Martindell said.
Not long after, aircraft control at San Diego International Airport was redirecting traffic because of an unresponsive plane.
"There's a traffic violator flying through the departure corridor, so I'm just going to hold you there," the tower announced to other aircraft.
The path of the plane carried it west of San Diego for some 500 miles before it disappeared.
"The perfectly straight line tells me he was using autopilot to fly the plane and whatever point he becomes incapacitated, the autopilot just keeps flying the last thing it was told to do," Martindell said.
The owner of the plane is Peter Schultz, a renowned chemist and CEO of The Scripps Research Institute. A statement from the Scripps Research Institute confirmed the plane is owned by Schultz, but Schultz was not on it. The statement also confirmed the pilot is a friend of Schultz and an experienced pilot.
The identity of the pilot hasn't been released, but I spoke to someone who knows him. She calls him a ‘genius’ biologist, dedicated and humble. She says she and the family of young scientists he mentored are ‘devastated.’
It's believed the pilot was the only one on board.
We reached out to the Coast Guard to see if there was a search and are waiting to hear back.
The Scripps Research Institute says Schultz won't be commenting further, out of respect for the family's privacy.
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