Tulsa World: Pilot killed in crash had medicine in system

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Pilot killed in crash had medicine in system
A safety agency says he shouldn't have been flying.

By SUSAN HYLTON World Staff Writer
Published: 4/10/2009 2:26 AM
Last Modified: 4/10/2009 3:41 AM

MUSKOGEE — A private pilot who died in a plane crash in August had an antidepressant in his system and should not have been flying, according to a National Transportation Safety Board report.

The single-engine experimental plane crashed in a southeast Muskogee neighborhood, killing Ronald Dickey, 59, of Williston, Tenn., the pilot and sole occupant.

The aircraft avoided a nursing home and senior apartment village before crashing in a large vacant lot between two houses.

No one on the ground was injured.

Records show that Dickey tested positive for Celexa, an antidepressant.

"Use of this medication would have precluded medical certification of this pilot. The pilot would have been warned not to fly while taking this medication," the report said.

Dickey's medical application did not indicate that he used any medication or had any type of mental disorder, including depression or anxiety.

Instrument use would have been necessary during rain, as opposed to navigating visually under good weather conditions. Radar showed scattered light to moderate rain showers in northeastern Oklahoma and light rain in the eastern part of Muskogee around the time of the accident.

It could not be confirmed whether the plane was equipped for instrument flight due to the condition of the wreckage, according to the report.

Dickey was instrument-rated, but his wife told authorities he preferred to fly under visual flight rules.

She said

her husband flew cross-country to his work and that he checked the weather before departure. She said he delayed leaving due to weather conditions en route.

The NTSB's preliminary report said the airplane, which was destroyed, hit the ground at a steep angle and that "the engine and forward fuselage were buried in an impact crater approximately 4 feet deep."

Wreckage was mostly confined to the point of impact, the report said.

The preliminary report said witnesses indicated the plane's engine was running at the time of impact.

Witnesses said the plane was sputtering and making other sounds.

The plane was an RV-6A kit airplane, a kind often built and flown by enthusiasts, reports show.

Dickey was flying from Tennessee to Borger, Texas, officials said.

Susan Hylton 581-8381
susan.hylton@tulsaworld.com By SUSAN HYLTON World Staff Writer

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T.B'Ville, Bartlesville (4/10/2009 7:47:18 AM)

It sounds like there was something wrong with the plane. The meds had nothing to do with it. He put it down in a vacant lot.

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