Incident Report
The tower at Las Vegas received a call reporting that the pilot of an accident airplane, while taxiing out for takeoff, had been drinking. The controller instructed the pilot to return to the ramp, but the pilot refused. The controller then informed the pilot that the runway was closed; the pilot stated he had to take off and did so at 1845.
Departure and Arrival
The controller contacted local authorities, who in turn informed the Tonopah Sheriff's Department at the pilot's planned destination. Deputies at the destination observed the airplane land short of the runway.
Post-Landing Observations
Upon the deputies' arrival, the pilot was sitting on the left front seat. Three empty beer cans were found in the snow below the pilot's window. When the pilot exited the airplane, the deputies reported that the pilot smelled of alcoholic beverages, his speech was slurred, his eyes were bloodshot, and his balance was unstable. The pilot refused to undergo a sobriety test or any blood tests. Examination of the wreckage disclosed that the fuel tanks were empty.