Hy-Tek HURRICANE UNREG

Summary

On 4 May 2017 at about 16:45 local time, a Hy-Tek HURRICANE registered UNREG was involved in an accident near Redcrest, California, United States. One person was on board and one died. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

4 May 2017 at 16:45

Classification

Accident

Location

Redcrest, California, United States

Coordinates

40.3389, -123.8333

Aircraft

Hy-Tek HURRICANE

Registration

UNREG

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Redcrest → Redcrest

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

Unk

Light

Day

NTSB number

WPR17LA126

1 person died.

The noncertificated pilot's impairment from methamphetamine and alcohol use, which precluded the pilot from maintaining control of the airplane after a loss of engine power for reasons that could not be determined based on available information.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The noncertificated pilot was returning from a 20-minute flight in an unregistered amateur-built airplane when a witness heard the engine sputtering. The witness reported that the engine quit shortly thereafter and that the airplane subsequently nosed down and collided with the river shoreline.  Law enforcement personnel reported that the airplane wreckage had been moved before their arrival at the accident site. The pilot's body was not within the wreckage when they arrived, and an extensive search was initiated. The body was located several days later downstream of the accident site. The accident was not reported to the National Transportation Safety Board until several weeks after the wreckage had been recovered to the pilot's residence. Postaccident examination of the wreckage revealed that airframe and engine components had been removed and disassembled postaccident and prior to an inspection. Consequently, the reason for the loss of engine power could not be determined. A family member reported that the pilot had accumulated about 2 hours of total flight experience in the accident airplane make and model. The investigation did not identify any other flight time information, therefore the pilot's ability to respond to an emergency, such as a loss of engine power, could not be determined. Toxicology testing on the pilot's specimens was positive for methamphetamine and ethanol. The effects of methamphetamine "high" and "crash" are impairing; thus, pilots are not permitted to operate aircraft while using methamphetamine. Although ethanol can be produced postmortem, the ethanol detected in the pilot's specimens had likely been ingested given the statement from the pilot's wife that he was under the influence on the day of the accident. Therefore, the pilot was likely impaired by the effects of methamphetamine and alcohol, which contributed to the pilot's ability to maintain airplane control following the loss of engine power.                    

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.