ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 160888
This record has been locked for editing.
| Date: | Monday 23 September 2013 |
| Time: | 18:57 |
| Type: |  Van's RV-6A |
| Owner/operator: | Private |
| Registration: | N67GM |
| MSN: | 60149 |
| Year of manufacture: | 2001 |
| Engine model: | Lycoming O-320 SERIES |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 1 / Occupants: 1 |
| Aircraft damage: | Destroyed |
| Category: | Accident |
| Location: | Colusa County, west of Williams, CA -
 United States of America
|
| Phase: | En route |
| Nature: | Private |
| Departure airport: | Willows-Glenn, CA (KWLW) |
| Willows-Glenn, CA (KWLW) | |
| Investigating agency: | NTSB |
| Confidence Rating: |  Accident investigation report completed and information captured |
Witnesses reported observing the airplane traveling very low and fast over the terrain. They then saw the airplane disappear behind a hill, followed by rising black smoke. During the postaccident on-site examination, the lowest wire of a high-tension power line that crossed over a shallow valley was found broken, and a fragment of the airplane's wing was found hanging from the next higher power line. The main wreckage was located 300 yards north of the power lines, and a postcrash fire had ensued.
Toxicological testing detected ethanol in the pilot’s tissues; however, the ethanol distribution was not consistent with ingestion and likely resulted from postmortem sources. The testing also detected the opioid medications tramadol and hydrocodone in the pilot’s urine, indicating that he had used the medications at some time before the accident. The low level of tramadol in the blood indicates that the pilot was unlikely impaired by it at the time of the accident; however, there was insufficient evidence to determine if he was impaired by the hydrocodone at the time of the accident.
Probable Cause: The pilot's improper decision to fly at a low altitude, which resulted in his failure to maintain clearance from power lines.
Accident investigation:
 |
|
Sources:
NTSB
FAA register: http://registry.faa.gov/aircraftinquiry/NNum_Results.aspx?NNumbertxt=67GM
Location
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 24-Sep-2013 08:05 | gerard57 | Added |
| 24-Sep-2013 08:12 | harro | Updated [Aircraft type] |
| 24-Sep-2013 18:34 | Geno | Updated [Time, Registration, Cn, Location, Source, Narrative] |
| 04-Oct-2013 05:32 | Geno | Updated [Departure airport, Source, Narrative] |
| 06-Aug-2016 06:53 | junior sjc | Updated [Narrative] |
| 21-Dec-2016 19:28 | ASN Update Bot | Updated [Time, Damage, Category, Investigating agency] |
| 21-Apr-2017 19:55 | junior sjc | Updated [Narrative] |
| 29-Nov-2017 09:13 | ASN Update Bot | Updated [Operator, Other fatalities, Departure airport, Destination airport, Source, Narrative] |
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