ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 73820
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| Date: | Sunday 4 April 2010 |
| Time: | 13:37 |
| Type: | Charles C. Center X-5 |
| Owner/operator: | Private |
| Registration: | N25761 |
| MSN: | 101-1 |
| Engine model: | Lycoming O-320 |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 2 / Occupants: 2 |
| Aircraft damage: | Substantial |
| Category: | Accident |
| Location: | Ghent, New York State -
 United States of America
|
| Phase: | Initial climb |
| Nature: | Private |
| Departure airport: | Ghent, NY |
| Pittsfield, MA (PSF) | |
| Investigating agency: | NTSB |
| Confidence Rating: |  Accident investigation report completed and information captured |
Following two uneventful flights, the pilot and passenger took off; witnesses described a takeoff and initial climb sequence that was consistent with a loss of lift due to an aerodynamic stall before the airplane impacted the ground in a nose-down attitude and caught fire. The witnesses also described smooth and continuous engine operation to ground impact. No evidence of any preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures were discovered during a postaccident examination of the wreckage.
Postmortem toxicological testing of the pilot was positive for ethanol, a prescription opioid narcotic known to impair the mental and/or physical abilities required for the performance of hazardous tasks, and a prescription antidepressant. While some of the ethanol detected in the testing may have been produced postmortem, the measured serotonin metabolite ratio implied alcohol consumption by the pilot in the 16 hours prior to the accident flight. Given the pilot's long-term, chronic narcotic use, he may have developed some tolerance to the sedating, mental, and physical effects associated with the detected quantity of the drug. Although the investigation was unable to determine the degree of the pilot’s impairment, since the concentrations of the prescription opioid narcotic detected were well above a normal therapeutic range, it is likely that the pilot was impaired.
Probable Cause: The pilot's failure to maintain adequate airspeed during the initial climb, resulting in an aerodynamic stall. Contributing to the accident was the pilot's impairment.
Accident investigation:
 |
|
Sources:
NTSB
Location
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 04-Apr-2010 21:53 | slowkid | Added |
| 05-Apr-2010 14:48 | RobertMB | Updated [Aircraft type, Registration, Cn, Departure airport, Narrative] |
| 06-Apr-2010 11:33 | harro | Updated [Embed code, Narrative] |
| 21-Dec-2016 19:25 | ASN Update Bot | Updated [Time, Damage, Category, Investigating agency] |
| 26-Nov-2017 16:34 | ASN Update Bot | Updated [Other fatalities, Departure airport, Destination airport, Source, Narrative] |
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