This brings a whole new meaning to "Here hold my beer!"

NTSB Identification: CEN12FA571
14 CFR Part 91: General Aviation
Accident occurred Friday, August 24, 2012 in Milner, CO
Probable Cause Approval Date: 06/04/2013
Aircraft: PIPER PA-24-250, registration: N7774P
Injuries: 1 Fatal.

NTSB investigators either traveled in support of this investigation or conducted a significant amount of investigative work without any travel, and used data obtained from various sources to prepare this aircraft accident report.
The student pilot departed on a cross-country flight and was not in contact with air traffic controllers; no flight plan had been filed. Log data recovered from the handheld global positioning system (GPS) unit depicted a flight track consistent with the accident flight and logged a maximum speed of 135 knots and a maximum GPS altitude of 18,379 feet. The airplane’s wreckage was located in a remote valley the following afternoon. An examination of the engine and airframe revealed no anomalies. Damage to the airplane and ground scars were consistent with the airplane being in a stall and flat spin at the time of impact. During the examination of the wreckage, marijuana and an opened six-pack of beer were found; the beer bottles were located in the front of the airplane, within the pilot’s reach. Toxicological testing found both alcohol and marijuana in the pilot’s system. The amount of alcohol in the pilot’s system would have significantly impaired the pilot’s performance. In addition, the amount of marijuana and its metabolite found in the pilot’s system indicated he was actively smoking in the hour before the accident; this would also have significantly impaired his ability to control the airplane. Both of these intoxicants may have impaired his judgment and contributed to the pilot’s decision to fly above 18,000 feet in an aircraft not equipped with oxygen. The resulting hypoxia also impaired his ability to control the airplane.

The National Transportation Safety Board determines the probable cause(s) of this accident to be:

The student pilot’s impairment from alcohol, marijuana, and hypoxia, which adversely affected his ability to maintain control of the airplane.

That dude could party!

http://dms.ntsb.gov/aviation/AccidentReports/p4jup145mthppt55pblcme551/I06052013120000.pdf

Left his wife and 4 young kids behind. Drank till he was blowing 0.11. Smoked till he was silly. Climbed to 18k' plus. Didn't wear seat belts. Not that any of that mattered...he probably set out to do it. Tragic.

Yeah, the real tragic part is that after the lawyers get involved, you know it's going to be Pipers or Lycomings fault.
Pete

he probably set out to do it

I think you might be right.

May have set out to do it, having a tidy life insurance for his kids, thinking an aircraft "accident" would not be ruled a suicide......?
I know-strictly conjecture.
But if I was the FAA/NTSB investigator I would try to word it in such a way it would give the Life ins company a clue that this was the most likely ending considering all the circumstances-which were intentional.

Just me I guess,
lc

Scolopax wrote:That dude could party!

Lol

lesuther wrote:Drank till he was blowing 0.11. Smoked till he was silly. Climbed to 18k' plus. Didn't wear seat belts.

Don't forget the amphetamines.

I'm just relieved he didn't take any hookers down with him.

Four kids. Damn.

CAVU

This just got sad

Fuckin' A... Gotta be good enough to pass that test. He flunked, and he's dead. Don't know much about pot smoking, but I bet Einstein wasn't drinking any Backcountry "approved for flight" brew.

A buddy I grew up with, died in a crash out of Kenai back in 1991 with a BA of .38 You'd almost have to want to die to fly that impaired. It's not even a "hold my beer and watch this" kinda deal.

Gump

Just a side note FYI...My insurance and most others still pays for Suicide...dead is dead and they do not care if is self inflicted.
Also just becoming a pilot and my NML agent says no change to my life insurance costs.
gordie

Really? Most life insurance policies, including mine and my employers have exclusions for ga. I had to go supplemental ins with piclife.com. Who is your insurance carrier? I want to call them.

Most of your suicide by aircraft is Controlled Flight into Terrain. There is a regular pattern in most of them. We actually spent a day going over the scenarios when I was doing my grad work in Aviation Safety in Monterey. It really wasn't a recognized pattern until the 80's. Death by drugs, booze or others is a different scenario and can invoke a car, gun, jump, or in this case an aircraft. Depending on your type of insurance policy, usually after 24 months, death is, as one poster put it, death and not discriminated against by the insurers.

Interesting point left out of the debate in guns and suicide, most of your bullet eating suicides involved a substance abuse of some kind as well, or at least what most of the ER docs I talked to say. Apparently, it takes a bit of bottle courage to off oneself.

Many of your traditional suicides by aircraft also tend to have an underlying health, monetary distress or relationship failure. It was the connecting thread that made it apparent why all these CFIT accidents where happening and lead to the conclusion that, hey these guys are doing this on purpose! Still cannot put that conclusion on the report unless there is a note as well.

Well, suicide by small aircraft certainly does NOT help our/GA safety statistics!
Not that someone in that "frame of mind" probably cares much about statistics -or GA either, for that matter.......

Of course that affects our insurance premiums-both life & aircraft.

lc

May I recommend a nitrogen tent?
And just go gentle into the void....

Zzz wrote:I'm just relieved he didn't take any hookers down with him.

For sure!

Sadly there are several suicides with airplanes. One not long ago was a guy that crashed into the ocean on purpose. I guess it's good he didn't take anyone with him.

http://www.ntsb.gov/aviationquery/brief ... 5448&key=1

http://www.ntsb.gov/aviationquery/Respo ... d5fe03fc0a

Zzz wrote:
I'm just relieved he didn't take any hookers down with him.


For sure!

Do y'all have lots of rug making relatives?

lc