A medical issue led to the November 2019 plane crash that claimed the life of a Westport man in New Bedford.

Paul E. Vidal, 74, was killed when the Cessna 150M he was piloting nosedived into New Bedford's Rural Cemetery. He was the only person aboard.

In a project summary released Thursday, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) ruled that a medical issue was the "defining event" of the crash.

Vidal, an amateur pilot who enjoyed flying whenever time and weather permitted, had taken off from New Bedford Regional Airport shortly before 3 p.m., flying along the shoreline as high as 4,000 feet, when the Cessna started a sudden, rapid descent in a left circular pattern. Investigators said the plane struck a tree at a steep angle, and the debris field extended about 80 yards from the tree.

Though investigators said all wreckage was accounted for and examined, "no pre-impact anomalies were noted."

NTSB officials said Vidal died from multiple blunt force trauma injuries.

Vidal's son Andrew reported shortly after the crash that his father had nearly 25 years of flying experience and often traveled with his wife following a career as a teacher at the Community College of Rhode Island.

"Every couple of days, when it was nice weather, he liked to get out and fly around," Andrew Vidal said. "He wanted to be an airline pilot when he was younger."

Vidal is survived by his wife, son, daughter and three grandchildren.