NTSB: ‘Pilot impairment’ caused deadly 2017 plane crash near Boonville
The National Transportation Safety Board released its final analysis of a deadly 2017 plane crash in Cooper County.
The report, dated November 5, 2018, concludes that impairment of the pilot, 67-year-old Charles McCutcheon, was the main contributing factor in the crash that killed him and his passenger, 49-year-old Bryan Roth, on April 24, 2017.
Mechanical failures and weather conditions were ruled out as probable causes in the board’s report.
“Weather conditions at the time of the accident included a clear sky with no obstructions to visibility,” the report said. “Examination of the airframe and engine did not reveal any anomalies that would have contributed to the accident.”
An autopsy revealed that McCutcheon suffered from coronary artery disease, however, that physiological condition was also ruled out as a probable cause of the crash because it does not affect a pilot’s judgment, vision, or decision-making.
The autopsy further revealed that McCutcheon had tissue scarring from a previous brain injury that left his optic nerve severely damage.
The Fayette man was nearly blind in his left eye, something that the NTSB said, “likely contributed to the accident.”
The biggest contributing factor, however, was the substances of which McCutcheon was found to have been under the influence.
Cocaine, methamphetamine, clonazepam, and diphenhydramine were found in the pilot’s system.
“In addition to their psychoactive effects, these drugs are potent vasoconstrictors and can cause small arteries to spasm, cutting off blood flow to portions of vital organs,” the NTSB said. “Although the pilot’s stage of intoxication with methamphetamine or cocaine at the time of the accident is unknown, it is very likely that he was impaired by the combined effects of these drugs.”
