- Date
- February 18, 1993, 10:05 local (18:05 UTC)
- Place
- Boulder City, NV
- Injuries
- 1 fatal
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Unknown
- Aircraft
- N4391VBertone Challenger II
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report March 18, 1994
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19930218004899A
- Case key
- 27927
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
Probable cause
The pilot's loss of airplane control due to physical impairment as a result of either drugs or other cardiovascular reasons, or both.
Sequence of events
NTSB’s coding before 2008: each occurrence and phase of flight, and the causes and factors under it. The codes are defined in NTSB’s coding manual.
Analysis
The pilot had called another pilot on the radio and said that he was 5 mi south of the airport and returning to land. When the pilot did not return, the other pilot took off to search for the pilot. The airplane was located 3 mi south of the airport. Examination of the airplane revealed the airplane impacted the terrain nose first at a 40-45 deg angle. The propeller appeared not to have been turning at impact. An exam of the engine found no mechanical discrepancies. Toxicological results were positive: blood screen - 1026 ng/ml diazepam, 1142 ng/ml nordiazepam; urine screen - methamphetamine, amphetamine, oxazepam, temazepam, and nordiazepam identified. The level of diazepam would indicate that the pilot was taking the tranquilizer valium at a level of at least twice the normal therapeutic concentration. In addition, the autopsy revealed a severe occlusion of the left anterior descending artery, at its origin. The degree of occlusion was sufficient to have caused arrhythmia, infarct or even death at any time.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N4391V
- Reported as
- Bertone Challenger II (CHALLENGER)
- Category
- Airplane, amateur-built
- Serial number
- 20192CW0785
- Airframe hours
- 56
- Engine
- Hirth 2703, 55 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Frank D. Graham
- Registered owner
- Frank D. Graham
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Experimental (Special)
- Last inspection
- Unknown · August 27, 1992 · 15 hours before
Matched to the registry by N-number and the event date; the registry’s history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 59
- Medical
- Expired
- Seat
- Left
- Toxicology
- Performed
- Flight hours
- 310 total
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- Calm
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 1,500 ft overcast
- Temperature
- 61 °F
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.