Possible Cause of Virginia Jet Crash: Investigating Rapidly Manifesting Condition.

Investigators are looking at hypoxia, or the lack of oxygen in the body, as a possible cause of the Virginia jet crash that killed a veteran pilot and three passengers. Pressurization problems and hypoxia have caused past aircraft crashes, including the one that killed golfer Payne Stewart and others in 1999. Passengers should know that pressurization problems are very rare, and pilots train to react immediately, donning specialized oxygen masks and putting the plane in an emergency descent toward higher-density air.