Zawada SUPER CUBY N43Z

Summary

On 4 July 2002 at about 22:28 local time, a Zawada SUPER CUBY registered N43Z was involved in an accident near Cantwell, Alaska, United States. 2 people were on board and 2 died. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

4 July 2002 at 22:28

Classification

Accident

Location

Cantwell, Alaska, United States

Coordinates

63.2936, -150.2542

Aircraft

Zawada SUPER CUBY

Registration

N43Z

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Wasilla → Wasilla

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

ANC02FA070

2 people died.

The pilot's failure to maintain adequate airspeed which resulted in an inadvertent stall, and subsequent collision with terrain. A contributing factor was the pilot's impairment from the effects of prescription painkilling drugs.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.

Read the full NTSB narrative

The private certificated pilot departed with one passenger on a cross-country flight from a private airstrip in a tundra tire-equipped experimental/homebuilt airplane. Family members reported that the purpose of the flight was to show the passenger some Alaskan scenery. When the airplane did not return, the flight was reported overdue. Search personnel located the wreckage near the summit of a mountain pass at 5,000 feet msl, four days later. The airplane struck an area of upsloping rock and snow-covered terrain, in a near vertical attitude, and came to rest within a few feet of the initial ground scar. A postaccident examination of the airplane did not reveal any mechanical malfunctions. A postmortem toxicological examination of the pilot disclosed high levels of tramadol, a prescription painkiller, and paroxetine, a prescription antidepressant. Additionally, the toxicology report was consistent with the use of at least one other prescription painkiller. The pilot had been under treatment for neck and back pain with multiple medications. The pilot's performance and judgment were likely to have been impaired by the effects of the tramadol, particularly in combination with a second prescription painkiller.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.