Overview
A pilot involved in a aircraft accident was found to have consumed alcohol prior to the event. The sequence of events unfolded over an evening and early morning, culminating in the discovery of wreckage two days later.
Sequence of Events
During the afternoon and evening hours before the accident, the pilot had dinner with friends and consumed alcoholic beverages. Later, he and his friends became separated. At approximately 0030 MST, a taxicab driver met the pilot and drove him to the airport, arriving around 0200. The driver described the pilot as being 'hammered,' but noted that the pilot slept during the trip to the airport. The pilot told the driver he intended to get in the airplane and 'sleep it off' before departing.
A witness located 5 miles west of the airport reported that an airplane made low diving passes over her residence between 0235 and 0305. The wreckage was located two days later at the 10,550 foot level of a mesa, approximately 12 miles southwest of the airport.
Toxicology Findings
Toxicology tests for ethanol in the pilot's blood and bile disclosed levels of 200 and 220 mg/dL (0.20% and 0.22%), respectively.