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The official NTSB probe could take up to a year, but the unofficial-scenario spinning started almost immediately. Investigators concur that all passengers probably lost consciousness about the time of their last radio contact and that the plane logged 1,400 miles mostly on autopilot until its fuel tanks finally emptied. Initially, speculation centered on a so-called explosive decompression, or a sudden loss of cabin air pressure and oxygen supply, caused by a hole in the plane's skin or a malfunctioning valve. Above 40,000 ft., air as cold as -70[degrees]F would have instantly rushed in, frosting over the plane's windows. Pilots and passengers would probably have been alerted by alarms and flashing lights to reach for their oxygen masks, and would have had anywhere from five to 15 seconds to do so before losing consciousness.
Concerned about just such a scenario, the FAA in 1995 issued an airworthiness directive telling owners of the Learjet 35 to replace faulty outflow valves that could "fail in flight leading to depressurization." Maintenance records for the Lear on which Stewart was flying indicate that another valve, the left-hand modulator valve, was replaced just days before the crash.
The decompression theory raises questions of its own: Why didn't the pilots get to their oxygen masks in time? And why did the plane's skin appear unmarred to its F-16 escorts? "Oxygen deprivation hardly is the only way to crew incapacitation," cautions Benzon. "We're still in Stage 1, the fact-gathering stage." Late in the week investigators were looking at a pattern of three other Learjet crashes since 1980, in which all aboard mysteriously lost consciousness and control of the aircraft.
With Stewart's death, the golf world lost an original. Wearing his distinctive plus-fours, tam and silver-tipped alligator shoes, Stewart was one of the world's most recognizable golfers. He special-ordered the silk for his knickers from Italy and awoke early on the mornings of tournaments to press his colorful costume. But his game, and demeanor, didn't really catch up to his fame until recently. During his career, Stewart's play was often erratic, marred by several final-round chokes. He could be cocky and abrasive.
Lately, though, he had matured and mellowed, this year winning two tournaments for the first time since 1990. An unashamed patriot, Stewart was especially thrilled to help lead the U.S. Ryder Cup team to its recent comeback victory against Europe. He ranked third among the Tour golfers in money won this year and third in money won over a career.
A diagnosis of attention-deficit disorder and sessions with a sports psychologist had helped his focus; he credited family and God for the rest. His children, Chelsea, 13, and Aaron, 10, attend a Baptist school and brought religion home to Stewart. He began studying the Bible daily, even on Tour. "God gave him the rhythm and the tempo" to play tournament golf, says his longtime friend and sports psychologist Richard Coop. "But Payne had to work on the concentration." It all came together for the nail-biting 15-ft. putt that won him his second Open. "I'm so much more at peace with myself than I've ever been in my life," he said after that victory. "Where I was with my faith last year and where I am now are leaps and bounds apart."