Unlicensed Student Pilot Found Missing After Alcohol-Related Flight (N757SL)

Discovery and Investigation Start On July 2, 2000, at 0815 CDT, the wreckage of an airplane was discovered 1.5 miles east-northeast of Brownton, Minnesota. At 0955 CDT, a flight instructor from the fixed-base operator (FBO) that operated the aircraft found it missing from its hangar at Maple Lake Airport in Maple Lake, Minnesota. ## Circumstances at the FBO The instructor pilot reported that upon arriving at the FBO, the student pilot's car was in the parking lot, his car keys were on the desk, and the security alarm system was turned off. ## Pilot Qualifications and History The student pilot had not been endorsed for solo flight. He did not hold a current student pilot certificate or a current medical certificate. FBO records indicated that his most recent flight was on September 2, 1995, and he had accumulated 12.4 total flying hours. ## Aircraft Examination An examination of the airplane revealed that the fuel selector was in the 'closed' position. No other anomalies were found with the aircraft. ## Toxicology Results FAA toxicology testing of specimens from the student pilot revealed ethanol in the blood, muscle, and urine. The FAA Toxicology and Accident Research Laboratory confirmed that the detected ethanol levels were consistent with alcohol consumption. The blood ethanol level equated to a blood-alcohol level of 0.06 percent by weight.