Accident Overview
A private pilot flying a light aircraft struck a power line during a low pass and crashed into a bean field. The pilot had departed from a local airport approximately 40 minutes prior to the accident. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time of the event.
Witness Observations
Family members on the ground observed the aircraft flying over wires on the west side of the bean field during previous low passes. Subsequently, they noticed the airplane flying from west to east while attempting to fly under a power line that paralleled a road. The witnesses reported that the right wing clipped the power line, after which the aircraft struck the ground and cartwheeled about 100 yards east of the roadway.
Pilot Information
The pilot held a private pilot certificate issued approximately 7 months before the accident and had accumulated about 62 hours of documented flight time. A toxicology examination of samples from the pilot yielded positive results for Brompheniramine, Pseudoephedrine, Phenylpropanolamine, and Ephedrine. Brompheniramine commonly results in drowsiness and has a measurable effect on performance of complex cognitive and motor tasks. Pseudoephedrine, Ephedrine, and Phenylpropanolamine all usually result in increased levels of alertness.