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| Date: | Saturday 15 May 1993 |
| Time: | 21:15 LT |
| Type: |  Grumman American AA-5 Traveler |
| Owner/operator: | Private |
| Registration: | N9520L |
| MSN: | 0520 |
| Total airframe hrs: | 1875 hours |
| Engine model: | Lycoming O-320-E2G |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 1 |
| Other fatalities: | 0 |
| Aircraft damage: | Destroyed |
| Category: | Accident |
| Location: | Visalia, CA -
 United States of America
|
| Phase: | En route |
| Nature: | Private |
| Departure airport: | Tulare, CA (KTLR) |
| Investigating agency: | NTSB |
| Confidence Rating: |  Accident investigation report completed and information captured |
THE AIRPLANE COLLIDED WITH TRANSMISSION WIRES OVER A RIVER. WITNESSES REPORTED THAT THE AIRPLANE CAUGHT ON FIRE AFTER COLLIDING WITH THE WIRES. THE PILOT LANDED THE AIRPLANE IN AN OPEN FIELD, AND IT WAS CONSUMED BY THE FIRE. A DEPUTY SHERIFF INVESTIGATING THE ACCIDENT NOTED A HEAVY ODOR OF ALCOHOL ON THE PILOT'S BREATH. THE PILOT WAS GIVEN A FIELD SOBRIETY TEST AT THE SCENE OF THE ACCIDENT AND LATER AT THE JAIL. HE FAILED THESE TESTS, AND THEN REFUSED TO TAKE A CHEMICAL BLOOD ALCOHOL TEST. WITH THE PERMISSION OF THE DISTRICT ATTORNEY, BLOOD WAS FORCIBLY TAKEN FROM THE PILOT FOR A TOXICOLOGICAL EXAM. THE BLOOD SAMPLE WAS TAKEN ABOUT 2 HRS 35 MIN AFTER THE ACCIDENT. THE RESULTS OF THE TEST WERE POSITIVE WITH A BLOOD ALCOHOL LEVEL OF 0.12%.
Probable Cause: THE PILOT'S FAILURE TO SEE AND AVOID THE WIRES DUE TO ALCOHOL IMPAIRMENT. A FACTOR WHICH CONTRIBUTED TO THE ACCIDENT WAS UNWARRANTED LOW FLYING OVER THE RIVER.
Accident investigation:
 |
|
Sources:
NTSB LAX93LA216
Location
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 21-Dec-2016 19:25 | ASN Update Bot | Updated [Time, Damage, Category, Investigating agency, ] |
| 10-Apr-2024 13:55 | ASN Update Bot | Updated [Time, Cn, Operator, Other fatalities, Departure airport, Source, Narrative, Category, Accident report, ] |
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