Accident Details
On September 23, 2013, at 1857 Pacific daylight time, an experimental Miller RV-6A, registration N67GM, collided with high tension power lines and then impacted terrain approximately 9 miles west of Williams, California. The pilot was fatally injured, and the airplane was destroyed. The flight was operated by the private pilot under 14 CFR Part 91 in visual meteorological conditions without a filed flight plan. The flight originated from Willows-Glenn Country Airport in Willows, California.
A witness reported observing the airplane traveling very low and fast, heading north. The airplane disappeared behind a hill, and the witness then saw black smoke rising from behind that hill. A Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) inspector at the scene noted that the lowest wire of a high tension power line crossing a shallow valley was broken, and a fragment of the airplane was hanging from the next higher power line. The main wreckage was located 300 yards north of the power lines and had been subjected to a post-crash fire.
Pilot Information
The pilot, aged 63, held a private pilot certificate for airplane single-engine land, issued December 18, 2004, and a third-class airman medical certificate issued January 22, 2007, with a waiver requiring glasses for near vision. The pilot's logbook was not located for examination. On the medical certificate application, the pilot reported 1,000 flight hours and active medical conditions including high blood pressure and elevated lipids. Medications listed were metoprolol (marketed as Toprol) for blood pressure and atorvastatin (Lipitor) for cholesterol.
Aircraft Information
The aircraft, an experimental category, two-seat, low-wing, fixed tricycle gear airplane, serial number 60149, was manufactured in 2001 by Gary Miller. It was powered by a Lycoming O-320 150-horsepower engine equipped with a Sensenich fixed-pitch propeller. The most recent engine and airframe conditional inspection was performed on July 9, 2013, at 744.8 hours total time.
Medical and Toxicology Findings
An autopsy performed on September 23, 2013, by Forensic Medical Group, Inc, as authorized by the Colusa County Sheriff's Office, listed the cause of death as multiple blunt force injuries. The FAA Civil Aerospace Medical Institute (CAMI) conducted toxicology tests on specimens from the pilot. Results were positive for ethanol in urine, and also for acetaminophen (Tylenol), hydrocodone (Vicodin), dihydrocodeine, hydromorphone, metoprolol in urine, and metoprolol in muscle. Ethanol may also be produced postmortem by microbial activity. Hydrocodone is a controlled substance with a warning that it may impair mental and/or physical ability required for hazardous tasks. Tramadol (Ultram) was detected in liver and blood, but blood levels were below the laboratory's quantitative cutoff; it also carries an impairment warning.