Had Not Logged IFR Currency Time

In its factual report released this week on the December 10, 2006 fatal downing of a Cessna 310Q near Waco, TX, the National Transportation Safety Board states the plane's pilot tested positive for a variety of substances -- including marijuana, antihistamines, painkillers, and weight-loss drugs.

As ANN reported, Justin Cardneaux was flying on an IFR flight plan from Natchez, MS with a clearance to fly direct to Waco. While on a glideslope approach to land at Waco Regional Airport just before 7:00 pm local time, the aircraft descended below minimum altitude, prompting an alert warning from a tower controller. After a brief climb at low speeds, the aircraft once again descended before impacting terrain short of runway 19L.

Cardneaux was killed in the accident, along with passengers Barr Brown and Jerry Roberts. Light rain was falling at the time, with a 200-foot ceiling and fog in the area. According to the pilot's logbook, Cardneaux had not met federal guidelines for keeping his IFR skills current.

The drugs reportedly found in Cardneaux's system would create an overall sedative effect, according to Susan Wellman, associate professor of pharmacology and toxicology at the University of Mississippi Medical Center in Jackson, MS. She was not part of the investigation.

"Hydrocodone will make people quite drowsy, among other things," Wellman told The Natchez (MS) Democrat. "THC (marijuana) produces a feeling of euphoria and may also make people feel somewhat lethargic."

Amounts of the anti-nausea drug Promethazine and phentermine, a diet drug, were also found in the pilot's body.

"It’s basically an antihistamine," Wellman said of the former. "It produces prominent sedation." She noted phentermine would have the opposite effect, "making (a person) somewhat agitated and wakeful."

The NTSB's probable cause report is at least 12 months away, according to NTSB Public Affairs Officer Keith Holloway.

FMI: Read The Factual Report