On March 22, 1997, a Grumman G-164A (registration N8922H) was involved in an aviation accident near Swifton, AR. Investigators recorded the probable cause as: the pilot's improper in-flight planning/decision and failure to maintain positive control of the airplane, while performing an aerobatic maneuver. This summary draws on records from the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) historical archive.
An agricultural pilot, who had flown 9 hours of application work, performed aerobatic maneuvers including a hammerhead and roll, stalling before completing the roll. Toxicology found sedating antidepressant and narcotic metabolite in pilot's system.
Background
The pilot reported for work at approximately 0700 and had flown about 9 hours of application work before the accident. The pilot was flying with a Statement of Demonstrated Ability for no vision in the left eye. The airplane's owner stated that he had counseled the pilot on several occasions to stop performing aerobatics in the aircraft.
Witness Accounts
A witness reported that the airplane approached from the west and "buzzed the operations trailer and came up for a hammer head but I could tell he was too low for it when it broke over, that was about 100 to 150 feet high." Another witness observed the airplane "buzz the trailer by the runway and pull up into a roll." This witness further stated that the pilot "does rolls often, but this time the plane stalled before he got high enough to finish his roll."
Toxicology Findings
A bottle of hydrocodone pills (a narcotic painkiller) was found on the pilot at the scene. Toxicology tests revealed 0.099 mcg/ml trazodone (a sedating antidepressant) in the pilot's blood and 0.434 mcg/ml trazodone and 0.056 mcg/ml norpropoxyphene (a less active metabolite of propoxyphene, a narcotic painkiller) in the pilot's urine. No hydrocodone or hydrocodone metabolites were reported in the blood or urine.