ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 41865
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| Date: | Thursday 8 May 1997 |
| Time: | 16:30 LT |
| Type: |  Cessna 172RG |
| Owner/operator: | Zapata Protein (usa) Inc. |
| Registration: | N6505V |
| MSN: | 172RG0738 |
| Engine model: | Lycoming O-360-F1A6 |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 1 / Occupants: 1 |
| Aircraft damage: | Destroyed |
| Category: | Accident |
| Location: | Intracoastal, LA -
 United States of America
|
| Phase: | En route |
| Nature: | Unknown |
| Departure airport: | (OR3) |
| Investigating agency: | NTSB |
| Confidence Rating: |  Accident investigation report completed and information captured |
Outbound on a fish spotting flight (flt), the pilot (plt) made a distress call to other company plts that he did not feel well & was returning to the airport. He said he was getting sick & 'a little nauseated.' Radio contact was lost, & the airplane crashed in the Gulf of Mexico. Investigation revealed that before flt, the plt had breakfast, flew 4 hrs, attended a safety meeting & went to a health club. Company plts said he was upset from reprimands at the safety meeting, was stressed for monetary reasons, was worried about his job, & was concerned about his blood pressure, but would fly while fatigued or when not feeling well. Reportedly, he had not slept well the previous night. Following a partial workout & steam room session, he was seen holding his head in his hands outside the steam room; he said he stayed in the steam room too long & felt 'quizzy like was going to throw up, like over doing it.' He did not eat lunch, but rested before flt. The plt was noted to have high blood pressure, when he applied for a 2nd class medical certificate on 3/3/97. The certificate was issued after he was evaluated by a cardiologist & was prescribed Tenormin (atenolol) & Lipitor (atorvastatin). Tenormin is a medication that reduces resting & exercise heart rate & is acceptable to the FAA for control of blood pressure. Lipitor is a cholesterol-lowering agent. Toxicology testing revealed trace amounts of diphenhydramine (trade name Benadryl), an over-the-counter sedating antihistamine, in the plt's liver & kidney fluids.
Probable Cause: the pilot's decision to fly, when he was not in good physical condition; and his subsequent loss of aircraft control due to incapacitation. A related factor was: the pilot's perception of an urgency (pressure) to fly, induced by conditions/events.
Accident investigation:
 |
|
Sources:
NTSB FTW97FA181
Location
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 24-Oct-2008 10:30 | ASN archive | Added |
| 21-Dec-2016 19:24 | ASN Update Bot | Updated [Time, Damage, Category, Investigating agency] |
| 08-Apr-2024 15:37 | ASN Update Bot | Updated [Time, Operator, Other fatalities, Source, Narrative, Category, Accident report] |
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