Miller RV6 N67GM

Summary

On 24 September 2013 at about 01:57 local time, a Miller RV6 registered N67GM, operated by Baber Lester C, was involved in an accident near Williams, California, 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.

Date

24 September 2013 at 01:57

Classification

Accident

Location

Williams, California, United States

Coordinates

39.1111, -122.3111

Aircraft

Miller RV6

Registration

N67GM

Category

Airplane

Year built

2001

Engines

1

Operator

Baber Lester C

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Willows-Glenn → Willows-Glenn

Aircraft damage

Destroyed

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

WPR13LA420

1 person died.

The pilot's improper decision to fly at a low altitude, which resulted in his failure to maintain clearance from power lines.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

Witnesses reported observing the airplane traveling very low and fast over the terrain. They then saw the airplane disappear behind a hill, followed by rising black smoke. During the postaccident on-site examination, the lowest wire of a high-tension power line that crossed over a shallow valley was found broken, and a fragment of the airplane's wing was found hanging from the next higher power line. The main wreckage was located 300 yards north of the power lines, and a postcrash fire had ensued. Toxicological testing detected ethanol in the pilot's tissues; however, the ethanol distribution was not consistent with ingestion and likely resulted from postmortem sources. The testing also detected the opioid medications tramadol and hydrocodone in the pilot's urine, indicating that he had used the medications at some time before the accident. The low level of tramadol in the blood indicates that the pilot was unlikely impaired by it at the time of the accident; however, there was insufficient evidence to determine if he was impaired by the hydrocodone at the time of the accident.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.