Bertone CHALLENGER II N4391V
18 February 1993 · Boulder City, Nevada, United States · Fatal
Summary
On 18 February 1993 at about 18:05 local time, a Bertone CHALLENGER II registered N4391V, operated by Frank D. Graham, was involved in an accident near Boulder City, Nevada, United States. One person was on board and one died. The aircraft was destroyed. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.
The record
- Date
- at 18:05
- Classification
- Accident
- Location
- Boulder City, Nevada, United States
- Coordinates
- 35.9898, -114.8097
- Aircraft
- Bertone CHALLENGER II
- Registration
- N4391V
- Category
- Airplane
- Engines
- 1
- Operator
- Frank D. Graham
- Operating rule
- Part 91: General Aviation
- Purpose of flight
- Personal
- Phase of flight
- Not recorded
- Aircraft damage
- Destroyed
- Weather
- VMC
- Light
- Day
- NTSB number
- LAX93LA124
People
1 person died.
| On board | Died | Serious | Minor | Uninjured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
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.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.
Read the full NTSB narrative
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.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.
Other accidents in this area
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 15 Jan 1993 | Cessna 414 | Reno, Nevada, United States | Plane Wrap | Fatal | 2 |
| 19 Nov 1993 | De Havilland DHC-1B-2 | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | - | Fatal | 1 |
| 14 Sep 1993 | Scaled Composites 158-8 | Lemmon Valley, Nevada, United States | - | Fatal | 1 |
| 30 Nov 1993 | Piper PA-32-300 | Fallon, Nevada, United States | Fallon Aeromotive, Inc. | Serious injuries | - |
| 24 Dec 1993 | Bell 206B | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | Gerald J. Shlesinger | No injuries | - |
| 11 May 1993 | Cessna 152 | Elko, Nevada, United States | - | Minor injuries | - |