Pilot in fatal crash had used cannabis, says report

All three people aboard died when this Piper Seneca hit Mt Tauhara, near Taupo

The pilot of a light plane operated by Christian Aviation that crashed near Taupo last year, killing all three people on board, had consumed cannabis hours before the accident, a Transport Accident Investigation Commission report has found.

Although the report found no obvious cause of the accident, autopsy reports revealed the Auckland-based pilot, Steven Brown, 36, had consumed cannabis, probably between 12 and 24 hours before the accident.

The report said that although cannabis could adversely affect a person's ability to operate an aircraft, its effects varied so greatly that it could not conclusively be identified as a cause of the crash.

It said the pilot's mental function and flying performance may have been impaired as a result of prior cannabis use but this could not be proved.

Mr Brown's relatives were adamant he was not a cannabis user, but the report said the level found most probably excluded the possibility he had passively ingested the drug.

The Ministry of Transport has subsequently formed a group called the Substance Impairment Group to investigate the misuse of drugs and alcohol in the transport industry.

The report said that during the instrument approach to Taupo Aerodrome on February 2, the aircraft deviated left of the published approach track and struck Mt Tauhara just before midday, killing the three occupants on impact.

The report could not determine why Brown, an experienced pilot who held a commercial pilot licence, deviated from the final approach track.

The report found the crash was probably preventable had Taws (Terrain Awareness and Warning System) equipment been fitted to give the pilot warning of terrain ahead.

The report also found that despite Brown's holding a current medical certificate, unbeknown to him, his heart condition had deteriorated to the extent that he should have been medically disqualified from flying. But the report said his ability to fly probably was not affected by his heart condition.

No evidence was found of any aircraft mechanical fault. The weather, although bad, was still suitable for the pilot to fly a successful instrument approach and land.



* The pilot of an aircraft that crashed on Mt Taranaki in 2004 was not to blame, says the Transport Accident Investigation Commission.

The Nelson-based Flight Corporation Piper Seneca smashed into the summit on November 30, 2004, killing pilot Wayne Stratford, 41, and Air Nelson engineer John Hoskin, 63.

It had disappeared from radar at 9.53am, soon after taking off from New Plymouth. The wreckage was found at 6.30 that night.

Taic findings released yesterday showed pilot error was not to blame for the accident.

The plane was probably being flown on auto-pilot at the time of the accident and probably encountered a downdraught near the rim of the summit crater, causing it to slam into the mountain.

- NZPA