ERA22LA213

Review of flight track data for the personal flight showed that the airplane flew on an easterly course for about 3 hours before the airplane’s altitude, heading, and groundspeed began to deviate. The airplane overflew the intended destination airport, circled several times, and impacted terrain about 600 ft short of a private airstrip about 16 nautical miles to the northeast of the intended airport. Postaccident examination of the wreckage revealed no preimpact anomalies or malfunctions that would have precluded normal flight. The pilot stated that he had not eaten on the day of the accident, had consumed one beer before the accident flight, and had consumed additional alcoholic beverages in the airplane during the flight. The pilot recalled nothing from the last portion of the flight; however, evidence (open alcohol containers found in the wreckage) confirmed that he had consumed alcohol during the flight. Toxicology testing detected ethanol in the pilot’s blood at 0.172 gm/dL and his urine at 0.267 gm/dL. These concentrations were four to five times higher than the Federal Aviation Administration’s regulatory limit of 0.04 gm/dL; such concentrations would be impairing, and the pilot likely experienced degraded judgment and deficient coordination, psychomotor skills, perception, and attention. The airplane’s flightpath also demonstrated pilot impairment due to alcohol consumption before and during the flight. In addition, open alcohol containers were recovered in the wreckage, and the pilot admitted to consuming alcohol before and during the flight. The pilot likely experienced alcohol-related difficulties with cognitive and motor skills and was thus unable to safely manage the flight, resulting in a subsequent loss of airplane control.

On May 1, 2022, about 1705 central daylight time, an experimental amateur-built Van's Aircraft RV-7A, N1218B, was substantially damaged when it was involved in an accident near Huntsville International Airport-Carl T Jones Field (HSV), Huntsville, Alabama. The pilot was seriously injured. The airplane was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Part 91 personal flight. According to the pilot, earlier on the day of the accident, he had flown from HSV to McKinney National Airport (TKI), Dallas, Texas. The pilot reported that he had not eaten that day but had consumed one beer while in Dallas. He recalled consuming additional alcoholic beverages in the airplane on the flight back to Huntsville but recalled nothing after the airplane crossed into Mississippi. Review of Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) flight track data revealed that the airplane was first detected about 1328 shortly after departing TKI. The airplane climbed to an altitude of about 10,500 ft mean sea level and continued on an easterly course for about 2 hours 48 minutes. Afterward, large deviations were observed in the airplane’s altitude, heading, and groundspeed data. The airplane circled right and left east of Huntsville for about 30 minutes before entering a low approach over runway 9 at Moontown Airport (3M5), Huntsville, Alabama, which was about 16 nautical miles northeast of HSV, the intended airport. The airplane then made a left 180° turn and flew west for about 8 miles before it turned back and descended again toward 3M5. The airplane impacted terrain about 600 ft short of the runway 9 threshold. The airplane came to rest inverted, and it sustained substantial damage to the wings, empennage, and fuselage. Recovery personnel reported fuel in the wing tanks at the accident site as well as opened and empty containers of alcohol. Postaccident examination of the airplane and engine revealed no preimpact anomalies that would have prevented normal operation. Toxicology testing performed by the FAA Forensic Sciences Laboratory detected ethanol in the pilot’s hospital admission blood (0.172 gm/dL) and his urine (0.267 gm/dL). The concentration of ethanol in blood collected 3 hours after hospital admission was 0.118 gm/dL. Ethanol is a social drug commonly consumed by drinking beer, wine, or liquor. Ethanol acts as a central nervous system depressant; it impairs judgment, psychomotor functioning, and vigilance. Effects of ethanol on aviators are generally well understood; it significantly impairs pilot performance, even at very low levels. At blood ethanol concentrations above 0.15 gm/dL, individuals may experience significant loss of muscle control and major loss of balance. Title 14 CFR 91.17(a) prohibits any person from acting or attempting to act as a crewmember of a civil aircraft “within 8 hours after the consumption of any alcoholic beverage” and “while having an alcohol concentration of 0.04 or greater in a blood or breath specimen.”