Overview
A pilot flew an aircraft over a campground at an altitude estimated to be less than 100 feet. After the initial pass, the pilot and friends visited the campground. A female camper requested an airplane ride, and the pilot volunteered. The aircraft then made three subsequent passes directly over the campground, each successively lower, with all passes estimated at less than 100 feet altitude. At the time, the sun had set and the airplane appeared in silhouette.
Final Maneuver
Following the third pass, witnesses observed the aircraft execute a hard right turn and angle downward. A sun and moon computer program determined that civil twilight occurred at 2033 and the moon was 75 percent illuminated.
Aircraft and Engine Examination
Post-accident inspection revealed no discrepancies with the airframe or engine.
Toxicology Findings
Toxicological analysis of blood and liver samples tested positive for amitriptyline and nortriptyline. The prescribing physician was not the pilot's Aviation Medical Examiner (AME). The physician informed the Safety Board Medical Officer that the patient had not reported daytime sedation from the medication, and the doctor was unaware the patient was a pilot.
Medical Certification Context
According to the 1996 Guide for Aviation Medical Examiners, FAA AMEs are instructed to defer certification to the FAA Aeromedical Certification division for any airman using "mood-ameliorating" medication. A certified copy of the pilot's application for a medical certificate did not list amitriptyline in block 17, which asks about current use of any prescription or nonprescription medication.