Interesting that the Flight Aware flight track shows it disappearing from ADS-B "radar" at a high altitude, and it was suddenly in a descent of 8000 FPM just before dropping off ADS-B. (Career planefag here BTW) If the pilot was incapacitated from a loss of pressurization and then ran out of fuel, as one thing I read stated, the descent would have been more gradual for a time. If the pilot was suddenly incapacitated (died suddenly), he could have slumped over the yoke pushing it forward causing autopilot to be disengaged and then the sudden rapid descent. If it got into a high stress situation from the rapid descent, it could have broken up in flight and the ADS-B equipment would have stopped broadcasting, but even at that, there would have been a longer time period before the ADS-B stopped reporting. Very strange.
It didn't crash. They shot it down, and it came down in pieces.
If the tracking reports are accurate it was a plane. Missiles don't make a loop over New York before heading back to a target in DC.
Interesting that the Flight Aware flight track shows it disappearing from ADS-B "radar" at a high altitude, and it was suddenly in a descent of 8000 FPM just before dropping off ADS-B. (Career planefag here BTW) If the pilot was incapacitated from a loss of pressurization and then ran out of fuel, as one thing I read stated, the descent would have been more gradual for a time. If the pilot was suddenly incapacitated (died suddenly), he could have slumped over the yoke pushing it forward causing autopilot to be disengaged and then the sudden rapid descent. If it got into a high stress situation from the rapid descent, it could have broken up in flight and the ADS-B equipment would have stopped broadcasting, but even at that, there would have been a longer time period before the ADS-B stopped reporting. Very strange.
great info fren-ty