subject: Pilot In California Helicopter Crash Had Drugs In System [print this page] The Federal Aviation Administration has confirmed that the helicopter pilot involved in a fatal crash in Eastern Madera County last year, had traces of drugs in his system. According to the Federal Aviation Administration, tests conducted on the body of the pilot who was also killed in the crash, have confirmed that he had traces of an opiate and an antihistamine in the system. The drugs included an antihistamine called doxylamine, which is commonly used as a sedative as well as an allergy relief medication. The opiate painkiller also found in the pilot's system was hydrocodone, which also causes drowsiness.
Both of these drugs are known to induce drowsiness and sleepiness. Pilots are not supposed to fly when they're using these medications. In fact, using these medications too frequently can actually lead to a pilot losing his medical certificate, and being grounded. The helicopter was carrying a team from the California Department of Fish and Game. The researchers were conducting an aerial survey of the area when the helicopter crashed in the Sierra foothills. The crash which occurred on January 5, 2010 killed four people, including the pilot and three employees of the California Department of Fish and Game. The helicopter apparently ran into a power line, got entangled, and soon after, crashed into the ground.
A National Transportation Safety Board investigation into the crash did not outline the causes of the crash or confirm that the drugs were a factor in the accident. Meanwhile, the National Transportation Safety Board has also released an investigative report into the crash. According to the report, the pilot had spent too much time watching out for deer on an earlier trip, and was not looking out for obstacles at the time of the crash. According to the report, the pilot should've known the danger of the power lines.
The Southern California Edison transmission lines were not clearly marked, but they were included in a map which was found at the accident site. This indicates that the pilot had been aware of the presence of the lines. The NTSB report also includes accounts from two other employees of the California Department of Fish and Game who had traveled with the same pilot on earlier trips. According to these employees, they became alarmed when they saw the pilot was too focused on their deer watching activities, and was not paying attention to the flight.
California plane crash lawyers have been concerned at the growing tendency towards complacency among pilots. Modern aviation has been made much easier and simpler because of the increased amount of automation in a cockpit. All this automation inside a cockpit, could lull a pilot into a sense of complacency, and this could cause them to make serious and fatal mistakes.
