Pilot’s drug use factor in fatal Premier I jet crash

The NTSB determined that “the pilot’s impairment from the use of illicit drugs” was a contributing factor in a fatal Premier 1 corporate jet accident near Atlanta, Georgia.

On December 17, 2013, a Raytheon 390 Premier I jet was destroyed when it impacted terrain during a return to land at Atlanta-Fulton County Airport, GA (FTY). The pilot and passenger were killed in the accident.

The flight was planned from the Fulton County Airport to New Orleans-Lakefront Airport, Louisiana. The airplane started to taxi at 19:03 hours to the departure runway and remained short of the runway from 19:08 to 19:19 hours while the pilot addressed some aircraft system issues. Takeoff was performed at 19:20 hours.
The pilot contacted ATC immediately after takeoff, stating “we’re gonna need to come back now we’ve got a problem here”. He declined emergency equipment. The aircraft was turning right on final to runway 26 when it crashed. The airplane’s left wingtip struck a tree about 80 feet above ground level. Another tree strike was located about 100 feet from the initial impact location. Subsequently, the airplane impacted the ground in a nose down inverted attitude and then came to rest approximately 50 feet away on a heading of 289 degrees.

A toxicology report on the pilot show traces of marijuana. A plastic baggie, containing a blue powder substance, was located in the front pocket of the pilot’s pants. It contained traces of Amphetamine, Cocaine and Lidocaine.