Incident Overview
A student pilot was practicing touch-and-go landings in the traffic pattern and had completed one landing. During the downwind leg for the second landing, the control tower lost radio contact with the pilot. The accident airplane was located by another pilot in the traffic pattern at the point where the pilot would turn from the downwind leg to the base leg.
Witness Account
A witness near the accident site reported seeing a small airplane in a 'straight down dive.' The aircraft impacted the ground in a near vertical position and came to rest inverted.
Postaccident Examination
Postaccident examination of the airplane did not disclose any structural or mechanical anomalies.
Toxicological Findings
Toxicological tests of the pilot revealed 0.015 (ug/ml, ug/g) diphenhydramine in blood, 0.012 (ug/ml, ug/g) doxylamine in blood, and unquantified levels of trimethoprim, pseudoephedrine, and phenylpropanolamine in blood. Diphenhydramine and doxylamine are sedating over-the-counter antihistamines, and the levels detected in blood indicate they may have been used by the pilot more than 24 hours before the accident flight. Pseudoephedrine is a decongestant, phenylpropanolamine is a metabolite of pseudoephedrine, and trimethoprim is a prescription antibiotic.
Relevant Regulations
In the Code of Federal Regulations, 14 CFR 91.17, it states: 'No person may act or attempt to act as a crewmember of a civil aircraft...While using any drug that affects the person's faculties in any way contrary to safety...'