Undetermined · NTSB CEN15FA232
PIPER PA 24-260 — Spring Branch, TX
| Date | May 16, 2015 |
| Location | Spring Branch, TX |
| Aircraft | PIPER PA 24-260 |
| Purpose of flight | Personal |
| Conditions | Day · Visual Meteorological Cond |
| Phase / occurrence | Prior to flight Miscellaneous/other |
| Pilot age | 38 |
| Pilot total time | 122 hrs · Low time |
| Time in type | Unknown |
| Fatalities | 4 |
Probable cause
NTSB findings
- Personnel issues-Physical-Impairment/incapacitation-Illicit drug-Pilot - C
- Personnel issues-Action/decision-Info processing/decision-Decision making/judgment-Pilot - C
- Personnel issues-Action/decision-Action-Incorrect action performance-Pilot - C
- Aircraft-Aircraft oper/perf/capability-Performance/control parameters-Airspeed-Not attained/maintained - C
What happened
The private pilot was departing on a local flight with three passengers in the complex, high-performance airplane. Shortly after takeoff, the airplane descended and impacted terrain near a store parking lot. Postaccident examination of the airplane did not reveal any anomalies that would have precluded normal operation. Toxicological testing of the pilot revealed the presence of marijuana and its metabolite (THC and THC-COOH). THC is a psychoactive drug with potential effects such as decreased ability to concentrate and maintain attention, and impaired hand-eye coordination; these effects can present with blood levels of THC as low as 1 ng/ml. Due to postmortem redistribution, the exact level of THC and THC-COOH at the time of the accident could not be determined; however, the pilot's minimum THC level was likely about 5-11 ng/ml, and his THC-COOH level was likely about 3-4 ng/ml. His actual levels could have been higher at the time of the accident, and would likely have been higher during the time of preflight decision-making. The accident was consistent with a loss of control after takeoff due to the pilot's impairment by the effects of marijuana.