What happened
During a personal cross-country flight conducted under night visual meteorological conditions, a pilot was performing the final approach to an airport. Surveillance footage from the airport captured the aircraft pitching upward and rolling toward the right before transitioning into a nose-down descent. As the plane moved through a ravine located to the right of the runway, the right wing struck a powerline, causing a momentary loss of electricity at the airport. The aircraft subsequently impacted the ground within the ravine.
Findings
An investigation into the airframe and engines found no mechanical failures or anomalies that would have prevented the aircraft from operating normally. However, toxicological analysis of the pilot revealed the presence of five different impairing medications: clonazepam, temazepam, hydrocodone, nortriptyline, and diphenhydramine. While the levels were measured from post-accident cavity blood, the concentrations of hydrocodone, temazepam, and diphenhydramine were high enough to potentially cause psychoactive effects. It is believed that the pilot's impairment from this combination of medications likely contributed to the loss of aircraft control.