Robbins Field Airport
Aircraft Accident/Incident Report

Oneonta, Alabama 35121
Sunday, November 18, 2001 15:37 CST

A witness stated that as the airplane climbed through about 250 feet after takeoff, when the airplane was about 2/3 of the way down runway 23, the propeller stopped rotating. The pilot initiated a slow turn to the left and dropped the nose. The airplane then fell sharply to the left and spiraled to the left one and a half turns and went out of sight behind trees. Postcrash examination of the airplane showed the airplane crashed about 100-150 yards northwest of runway 23, about 2/3 of the way down the runway. The airplane came to rest on a 050 degree heading, in a 45 degree nose down attitude. The engine was seized and the propeller had no rotational damage. The tachometer read 196.8 hours. Postcrash examination of the engine showed the front cylinder walls showed evidence of galling, as did the compression ring, which remained compressed in the piston groove after removal. The damage was most severe on the exhaust side. An intake manifold seal for this cylinder was found cracked and the internal metal ring of this seal rusted. The second seal had no damage. The rear cylinder was removed and had no damage. Postmortem toxicology testing was negative for carbon monoxide, cyanide, and ethanol. The tests were positive for .005 ug/ml Alprazolam in blood, .225 ug/ml Alprazolam in urine, .343 ug/ml Alpha-Hydroxyalprazolam in urine, 54.821 ug/ml Acetaminophen in urine, and Triamterene in blood and urine. Triamterene is a prescription diuretic, is approved by the FAA for use by pilots, and was reported to be prescribed by the pilot on his last medical exam application, dated 09-17-2001. Alprazolam is a prescription tranquilizer, is not approved by the FAA for use by pilots, and was not reported by the pilot as a prescription on his 09-17-2001 medical application. The level found in the pilot's blood and urine was consistent with a very low dose. The drug has measurable adverse effects on performance. Acetaminophen is an over the counter pain reliever, and is approved for use by pilots by the FAA. A picture was found by an FAA Inspector in aircraft documents that show the airplane was involved in a previous accident. No record of this accident was found in the NTSB Accident Database.

The failure of the pilot to maintain airspeed following loss of engine power resulting in the airplane stalling and entering a spin from which it crashed. Factors in the accident was improper repair of the front cylinder intake manifold seal by the pilot after a prior accident which resulted in seizure of the front piston in the cylinder and failure of the engine and the pilots use of Alprazolam, a drug which has adverse effects on pilot performance.