enigma
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8-18-2003
http://www.thatsracin.com/mld/thatsracin/6561731.htm
Report: Pilot was drunk when copter crashed en route to Joe Gibbs
Associated Press
NEW SMYRNA BEACH, Fla. - A pilot was legally drunk when his helicopter crashed minutes before it was to pick up NASCAR owner Joe Gibbs during the 2002 Daytona 500 race weekend, a medical examiner's report said.
The pilot and a passenger were killed.
The pilot, Michael Hugh McNellis, 56, had a blood-alcohol level of 0.11 percent at the time his seven-seat helicopter collided with trees while attempting to land at the Spruce Creek Airport to pick up Gibbs, the former coach of the Washington Redskins, according to an autopsy report released Monday by the Office of the Medical Examiner in Volusia County.
The legal limit of intoxication in Florida a 0.08 blood-alcohol level.
The passenger, Robin A. Leedom, 43, of Las Vegas, was a well-known and popular figure at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway. She made her living booking helicopter flights to and from major racetracks across the nation.
The flight left Orlando at 5:50 a.m. Feb. 16, 2002 and crashed about 20 minutes later, according to a report by the National Transportation Safety Board.
The medical examiner said blunt force trauma killed the two. The bodies also were badly burned.
An NTSB investigation showed that the helicopter was up-to-date on its maintenance inspections and that there was no mechanical failure by the engine.
The NTSB report also said there were low clouds and reduced visibility at the time of the accident. Debris was scattered in an area about the size of a football field.
McNellis held a flight instructor rating and had completed a flight review in November 2001. He was hired by Universal Air Service in 1996, elevated to captain in 2000 and became a fulltime employee in 2001.
Officials with Universal Air Service in Orlando didn't return a phone call.
ON THE NET
www.ntsb.gov
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http://www.thatsracin.com/mld/thatsracin/6561731.htm
Report: Pilot was drunk when copter crashed en route to Joe Gibbs
Associated Press
NEW SMYRNA BEACH, Fla. - A pilot was legally drunk when his helicopter crashed minutes before it was to pick up NASCAR owner Joe Gibbs during the 2002 Daytona 500 race weekend, a medical examiner's report said.
The pilot and a passenger were killed.
The pilot, Michael Hugh McNellis, 56, had a blood-alcohol level of 0.11 percent at the time his seven-seat helicopter collided with trees while attempting to land at the Spruce Creek Airport to pick up Gibbs, the former coach of the Washington Redskins, according to an autopsy report released Monday by the Office of the Medical Examiner in Volusia County.
The legal limit of intoxication in Florida a 0.08 blood-alcohol level.
The passenger, Robin A. Leedom, 43, of Las Vegas, was a well-known and popular figure at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway. She made her living booking helicopter flights to and from major racetracks across the nation.
The flight left Orlando at 5:50 a.m. Feb. 16, 2002 and crashed about 20 minutes later, according to a report by the National Transportation Safety Board.
The medical examiner said blunt force trauma killed the two. The bodies also were badly burned.
An NTSB investigation showed that the helicopter was up-to-date on its maintenance inspections and that there was no mechanical failure by the engine.
The NTSB report also said there were low clouds and reduced visibility at the time of the accident. Debris was scattered in an area about the size of a football field.
McNellis held a flight instructor rating and had completed a flight review in November 2001. He was hired by Universal Air Service in 1996, elevated to captain in 2000 and became a fulltime employee in 2001.
Officials with Universal Air Service in Orlando didn't return a phone call.
ON THE NET
www.ntsb.gov
email this | print this
