Accident Details
A commercial pilot was tasked with patrolling a pipeline but instead flew in an erratic manner away from the designated route. During telephone communications with the pipeline company, the pilot appeared "weird and disorientated." The airplane subsequently collided with trees and was destroyed by impact and post-impact fire. Examinations of the airframe and engine revealed no evidence of mechanical malfunctions or failures.
Toxicology Findings
Post-accident toxicological tests on specimens from the pilot found a blood ethanol level of 373 mg/dL (0.373 percent) and a urine ethanol level of 556 mg/dL, indicating that the pilot's blood level had been higher than 0.556 percent at some time within the previous 6 to 8 hours. Toxicology tests also detected a very high level of citalopram, a prescription antidepressant, and its metabolites in the pilot's blood, consistent with either ingestion of larger than typical amounts or accumulation of the substance as a result of liver impairment.
Pilot Background
On his most recent FAA application for a medical certificate less than one month prior to the accident, the pilot reported one Driving Under the Influence (DUI) conviction, which occurred less than 1 year prior to the accident. The FAA medical records contained no details of that DUI, but a review of publicly available court documents for the conviction noted that the pilot's blood alcohol concentration was 0.31 percent during that arrest. The pilot denied any history of alcohol dependence, abuse, or of mental disorders on his most recent application for a medical certificate, though his employer was aware of his attendance at a rehabilitation program due to alcohol problems in 2006. The FAA specifically disqualifies pilot applicants with a history or clinical diagnosis of substance dependence, as defined in 14 CFR 67.107, 67.207, and 67.307, which includes evidence of increased tolerance, manifestation of withdrawal symptoms, impaired control of use, or continued use despite damage to physical health or impairment of social, personal, or occupational functioning. Had the FAA obtained details regarding the pilot's DUI conviction and/or contacted the pilot's employer, the FAA would have been aware that this pilot met the FAA's definition for substance dependence, and he likely would not have been issued a medical certificate without having undergone thorough evaluation and additional treatment.