Introduction
On October 31, 2019, at 0119 Pacific daylight time, a Cessna 150A, registration N7158X, was substantially damaged when it was involved in an accident near Brawley, California. The private pilot and passenger died. The airplane was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal flight.
Accident Flight
The airplane was identified on radar from the time it taxied from the hangars at Brawley Municipal Airport to just north of the accident site. After departing runway 8 at 0116, it turned left and flew westbound just north of the runway. At 0117, about 1.5 nautical miles northwest of runway 8, the airplane turned left approximately 225° and crossed the runway on a northeast heading. At 0118 the airplane turned right, and at 0119:31 it made another right turn and was on a southbound heading. The last radar return was at 0119:55 north-northwest of the accident site.
Wreckage
The airplane came to rest upright on the shoreline of the Alamo River in desert shrub trees, on a magnetic heading of 257°. The initial impact point was the left wingtip embedded in a desert tree shrub, with a freshly broken branch about 30 feet from the wing tip. The wreckage path continued on a southeast heading for 80 feet to the main wreckage.
Engine and Systems Examination
A postaccident examination revealed the left fuel tank was breached and the right fuel tank was intact. Approximately 1/2 gallon of light blue fuel was drained from the aircraft through the left drain valve. The fuel selector was observed in the ON position in the cockpit. Flight control continuity was established from the cockpit to each flight control surface. The engine crankshaft was rotated by hand, and thumb compression and valve train continuity were confirmed to all cylinders. The examination revealed no evidence of any preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures that would have precluded normal operation.
Pilot Toxicology
An autopsy of the pilot was performed by the Coroner’s Office of Imperial County, California, which listed the cause of death as “acute cocaine and ethanol intoxication.” Toxicological testing by the FAA Forensic Sciences Laboratory detected ethanol at 0.219 g/dL in blood, 0.259 g/dL in vitreous, and 0.320 g/dL in urine. Cocaine was detected at a level too low to quantify in blood, and at 0.505 mg/L in urine. Benzoylecgonine was detected at 0.029 mg/L in blood, and 0.179 mg/L in urine. Cocaethylene was not detected in blood but was found at 0.074 mg/L in urine. The cocaine metabolite ecgonine methyl ester was detected in blood and urine.
The source further notes that ethanol is the intoxicating alcohol in beer, wine, and liquor, and can impair judgment, psychomotor performance, cognition, and vigilance. FAA regulation imposes a prohibition on acting as a crewmember with a blood ethanol level of 0.04 g/dL or greater. Cocaine is a stimulant drug commonly used illicitly, considered unacceptable for flight by the FAA, with impairing effects including dizziness, restlessness, poor impulse control, and increased risk taking. Cocaethylene forms when cocaine is metabolized in the presence of ethanol and has psychoactive effects similar to cocaine.
Pilot Background
The pilot’s most recent FAA third-class medical certificate was issued on November 16, 2015. At that time, the pilot reported no civil flight experience. The pilot’s total flight experience could not be confirmed.