CEN24FA101

The pilot was flying low over his ranch when the airplane impacted a 197-ft marked meteorological evaluation tower (MET) about 192 ft above ground level (agl). The outboard section of the left wing was separated from the airplane, with witness marks showing impact on both the tower mast and top guy wire. The airplane impacted terrain in an inverted attitude about 238 ft from the tower. A review of the airplane instruments revealed that the altimeter setting was 30.36 inches of mercury (inHg). The nearest automated weather station reported an altimeter setting of 30.25 inHg about 25 minutes after the accident. The difference between the two settings would have placed the airplane 110 ft below the indicated altitude on the altimeter. The pilot had accumulated about 95 hours in the accident airplane since he completed building it in September 2023. Postaccident examination of the airplane revealed no mechanical failures or malfunctions that would have precluded normal operation. The pilot’s postmortem toxicology testing detected one metabolite of delta-8-tetrahydrocannabinol (delta-8 THC); the non-psychoactive metabolite carboxy-delta-8-THC was present in cavity blood and liver specimens tested. Testing also detected gabapentin in the cavity blood and liver specimens, and alprazolam in the liver specimen. Gabapentin is used to treat nerve pain and certain types of seizures. It can cause sedation and dizziness and can impair coordination and performance of tasks such as driving and operating heavy machinery. Gabapentin typically carries a warning that the drug may interact with alcohol or other sedating medications to worsen sleepiness and dizziness. Alprazolam, sometimes marketed as Xanax, is a high-potency benzodiazepine drug available as a prescription oral medication commonly used to treat anxiety and panic disorder. In addition to medicinal use, alprazolam commonly is misused. Alprazolam can cause sedation and psychomotor impairment, with adverse effects on tracking, attention, and reaction speed. Alprazolam typically carries a warning against engaging in hazardous occupations requiring mental alertness such as operating machinery or driving a motor vehicle. The FAA considers gabapentin and alprazolam to be “Do Not Issue/Do Not Fly” medications, and regular use of either drug for any reason is disqualifying for pilot medical certification. The pilot’s use of cannabis, alprazolam, and/or gabapentin may have affected his judgement. However, based solely on the postmortem toxicology testing results and the accident circumstances, the level of the pilot’s possible impairment, if any, could not be determined.

The MET was a steel 60M XHD Tall tower produced by NRG System and operated by Apex Energy. The tower was 197 ft tall with four sets of guy wires at 90° separation extending out to a radius of about 107 ft. Each guy wire set consisted of six individual wires connected to a cradle around the mast. The tower was painted and marked in accordance with FAA Advisory Circulars for unlit obstruction. Each top wire set had two high-visibility marker balls situated along the wire. Additionally, the mast was painted in seven alternating 28-ft sections of aviation orange and white. The tower was not registered, nor was it required to be registered, with the FAA. It was not listed in the voluntary <201 ft obstacle database or marked on any government aeronautical charts. The tower was registered with the Texas Department of Transportation according to the Texas transportation code. On January 29, 2024, at 1441 central standard time, a Lockwood Air Cam, N315GW, was substantially damaged when it was involved in an accident near Ranchitos Las Lomas, Texas. The pilot and passenger were fatally injured. The airplane was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal flight. According to family members, the pilot often conducted flights above the family ranch in his helicopter before he finished building the Air Cam in September 2023. Multiple witnesses reported that during the accident flight the airplane overflew the ranch headquarters, continued along a gas pipeline right-of-way to the southeast, and impacted a 197-ft MET tower about 192 ft agl (see figure 1). After the impact, the airplane rolled inverted and impacted terrain nose first. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the fuselage and both wings. Figure 1. MET tower and accident site diagram. (Source: Texas Department of Public Safety) The Webb County Medical Examiner’s Office performed the pilot’s autopsy. According to the autopsy report, his cause of death was multiple blunt force injuries, and his manner of death was accident. Structural evaluation of his heart was not possible due to injury. Within this limitation, his autopsy did not identify significant natural disease. Postmortem toxicological testing by the FAA Forensic Sciences Laboratory detected delta-8-tetrahydrocannabinol (delta-8-THC) at 7.9 ng/mL in cavity blood and at 2.4 ng/mL in liver tissue. Carboxy-delta-8-THC was detected at 3.8 ng/mL in cavity blood and at 79.9 ng/g mL in liver tissue. Carboxy-delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (carboxy-delta-9-THC) was detected at 1.6 ng/mL in liver tissue; carboxy-delta-9-THC testing in cavity blood was inconclusive. Gabapentin was detected at 1,557 ng/mL in cavity blood and at 2,059 ng/mL in liver tissue. Alprazolam was detected at 5 ng/mL in liver tissue and was not detected in cavity blood. Meloxicam was detected in cavity blood and liver tissue. Delta-8-THC is a psychoactive chemical similar to the primary psychoactive chemical in cannabis, delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol(delta-9-THC). Delta-8-THC effects are similar to those of delta-9-THC, including similar potentially impairing cognitive and psychomotor effects. Such effects may include impaired motor coordination, reaction time, decision making, problem solving, vigilance, and ability to judge time and distance. Delta-8-THC is available from retailers in a variety of products for oral consumption, smoking, and inhalation. Very little delta-8-THC is present in the cannabis plant, so delta-8-THC used in consumer products typically is chemically manufactured from cannabidiol (CBD), another chemical in the cannabis plant. Delta-8 THC products are marketed with a variety of claims, but have not been evaluated or approved by the United States Food and Drug Administration for safe use in any context, and may contain contaminants, including delta-9-THC. Carboxy-delta-8-THC is a non-psychoactive metabolite of delta-8-THC. Carboxy-delta-9-THC is a non-psychoactive metabolite of delta-9-THC. This investigation did not identify published FAA policy specific to delta-8-THC use by pilots. The FAA medical case review for this accident stated that products containing delta-8-THC are not specifically addressed by the FAA but should be considered as much of a hazard to flight safety as marijuana. The FAA considers marijuana use by pilots unacceptable, regardless of state laws. Gabapentin is a prescription medication that can be used to treat nerve pain, certain types of seizures, restless legs syndrome, and other conditions. Gabapentin may cause sedation and dizziness and can impair coordination and performance of tasks such as operating motor vehicles and heavy machinery. The drug typically carries a warning that users may not be able to accurately assess how sleepy or impaired it makes them, and that they should not operate motor vehicles or complex machinery until they have gained enough experience to determine whether the drug impairs their ability to do so. The FAA considers gabapentin to be a “Do Not Issue/Do Not Fly” medication. Alprazolam, sometimes marketed as Xanax, is a high-potency benzodiazepine drug available as a prescription oral medication commonly used to treat anxiety and panic disorder. In addition to medicinal use, alprazolam commonly is misused. Alprazolam can cause sedation and psychomotor impairment, with adverse effects on tracking, attention, and reaction speed. Alprazolam medication typically carries a warning against engaging in hazardous occupations requiring mental alertness such as operating machinery or driving a motor vehicle. The FAA considers alprazolam to be a “Do Not Issue/Do Not Fly” medication, and instructs AMEs not to issue medical certificates to pilots who report having an open prescription for chronic use of alprazolam. Meloxicam is a prescription non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) commonly used to treat arthritis pain. Meloxicam is not generally considered impairing. The initial point of impact the airplane made with thetower was at about 192 ft agl. The impact point consisted of multiple paint transfer marks and crushing of the tower mast. The top (seventh painted) section of the tower was bent in a southerly direction toward the airplane wreckage. A weather anemometer structure on the west side of the tower about 190 ft agl was also bent towards the tower in a southerly direction. Additionally, the north top guy wire was separated near the upper marker ball. The upper separated section of wire with the marker ball was still attached to the cradle and found on the south side of the tower. The lower marker ball and remaining wire were pulled and separated from the tower and found in a rough coil at the guy wire footer. The guy wire had bird caging present consistent with overload. The pilot completed a BasicMed course on March 3, 2023, and had an expired FAA third-class medical certificate dated April 25, 2017. His last medical application in 2021 listed a total flight time of 13,000 hours. Since September 2023, the pilot had flown the accident airplane 95.6 hours, with many of the flights conducted around the family ranch. The accident site was located in a flat, dry desert about 240 ft southeast of the tower. The debris path extended from the tower on a magnetic heading of 134° to the main wreckage. The outboard 9.5 ft of the left wing was found about 20 ft northwest of the main wreckage along the debris path. The leading edge of the left wing tip had crush damage about 2 ft in length with separation of the forward spar. The separated aft spar had witness marks consistent with wire impact. The main wreckage consisted of the fuselage, empennage, right wing, and the inboard structure of the left wing. The left engine was attached to the airframe, and its propeller assembly was attached to the engine. All three of the composite propeller blades were separated outboard of the hub assembly. The right engine was attached to the airframe, and its propeller assembly was attached to the engine. One composite propeller blade was intact with no leading-edge damage. One composite propeller blade was fractured at ground level with the blade still attached. The other propeller blade was fractured and separated midspan. Crush damage prevented review of the majority of the flight instruments. The altimeter was found intact with the altimeter of 30.36 inHg selected in the Kollsman window. The airspeed indicator needle was found at 92 mph with the faceplate broken. Postaccident evaluation of the airplane and engines revealed no mechanical failures or malfunctions that would have precluded normal operation.