Report: Pilot in fatal Mount Si plane crash was intoxicated
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RENTON, Wash. -- A recently released report from the National Transportation Safety Board sheds new on light on a tragic plane crash, including information that the pilot was drunk.
Pilot Rob Hill, along with his companions Seth Dawson and Liz Redling, died last year when his single-engine plane crashed into Mount Si.
An NTSB report on the Feb. 15, 2012 crash concludes Hill was four times over the legal blood alcohol limit for a crew member aboard a civil aircraft.
According to the report, 30-year-old Hill, 31-year-old Dawson and 29-year-old Redling had attended a local hockey game and then went out to diner prior to the flight
Casey Malone was friends with Redling and said he has been waiting a long time for answers about why the plane went down.
"Where it's a sad day for me to see it's actually related to alcohol, it does bring closure and some kind of finality, I guess," he said.
Malone said he is not condemning Hill, who was an experienced pilot and flight instructor.
"Good people make mistakes," he said. "Hopefully we all can learn from this."
He hopes the tragedy can be a "learning moment" for the high school students who looked up to Hill and Dawson, who were both popular swim coaches in Federal Way.
"If it can save one life by hearing this message, don't get behind the wheel if you even think you've had too much to drink," Malone said.
Pilot Rob Hill, along with his companions Seth Dawson and Liz Redling, died last year when his single-engine plane crashed into Mount Si.
An NTSB report on the Feb. 15, 2012 crash concludes Hill was four times over the legal blood alcohol limit for a crew member aboard a civil aircraft.
According to the report, 30-year-old Hill, 31-year-old Dawson and 29-year-old Redling had attended a local hockey game and then went out to diner prior to the flight
Casey Malone was friends with Redling and said he has been waiting a long time for answers about why the plane went down.
"Where it's a sad day for me to see it's actually related to alcohol, it does bring closure and some kind of finality, I guess," he said.
Malone said he is not condemning Hill, who was an experienced pilot and flight instructor.
"Good people make mistakes," he said. "Hopefully we all can learn from this."
He hopes the tragedy can be a "learning moment" for the high school students who looked up to Hill and Dawson, who were both popular swim coaches in Federal Way.
"If it can save one life by hearing this message, don't get behind the wheel if you even think you've had too much to drink," Malone said.
.15 BAC sheesh that is pretty up there... either way the plan can and will crash if the plot say passes out and presses down on the controls....a real shame is the person flying who should have known better than to fly also caused deaths of his passengers as a result...
I'm not condoning flying when intoxicated, but 4x the legal limit for pilots is barely effected, plus flying isn't like driving a car. Mountains don't suddenly pull out in front of you. Time and distances space out and for the most part nothing ever happens suddenly.  It's almost always a series of errors that get you killed. He may have been drinking but something else must have happened.
so is "drunk" the word ntsb used, or is that komo's translation? while there is a much stricter threshold for pilots, I would argue 0.76 is impared. still not acceptable, but it seems a little extra care should be taken when criticizing the deceased.
It doesn't surprise me that it was alcohol related. A lot of people don't realize alcohol is still working against you the next morning. It might have been a great party, but if you have any kind of hangover, you are probably over the limit. Especially if you re a pilot. It always starts out as a party, but for many it ends up with bleeding, retching, and dying. It's supposed to be good for you in small quantities...I'll spend my money on something that really IS good for me.
"good people make mistakes" His "mistake" not only killed him, but two others as well.
How could anyone get in a plane with someone that drunk? Must have been in worse shape.
I think the comments Mr Malone made all around are spot on.
So, we spent all these dollars & resources to find this guy, who turned out to be an irresponsible drunken idiot. Awesome.
No excuse!!! Old enough to have known better.
Not to mention he was a flight instructor!  He should have known better than just about anyone.  He's a shining example to all future pilots everywhere. Nice of him to kill two others along the way with his irresponsible behavior.
I am a long way from the âideal citizenâ but I will not drive or operate our boat after more than one beer.Do I feel incapacitated, no way.Am I incapacitated, not likely.Then why would I put those limits on myself?Simply because when driving a car or boat (and by extension, an airplane), I have an extra responsibility for the welfare of those with me, and around me.I seldom drink to excess, but my wife almost never has even one drink so I have an easy way out. I guess I am just lucky, along with those around me.I have been behind the wheel of both boats and cars when I had no business doing so, and as such have no reason to get down on others.I just thank God that I did not hurt anyone before I saw the light.
It was the "airplane" that killed them...right?
@jjccamis gravity, actually- with a touch of stupidity
@jjccamis Or at least physics...
Ban physics!!
@Throbbinhood @jjccamis  well, by jj's logic, the laws of physics don't work...Â
Just so you know the legal limit for a pilot is .019% Â for someone driving a car is .08% Â so this guy was .076% not sure why the reporter didn't mention it. Oh I know sensationalism.....
He was over the limit, what's your point?
@livinintheNWÂ Here is the NTSB report with the blood/eye alcohol levels: http://dms.ntsb.gov/aviation/AccidentReports/jlb2wn55nizegdbch4xtyg551/P03072013120000.pdf
Plus "8 hours bottle to throttle". Clearly violated if they'd been drinking any amount with dinner.Â
Yes, this wasn't a mistake. He chose to drink and then fly.
"Good people make mistakes,"
As with driving - electing to do it drunk is NOT a mistake.
@Throbbinhood Most people don't want to hear the truth.... sadly.
I would imagine keeping it quiet for this long had to do with lawsuits and insurance matters...
@Windowseat you would imagine wrong.
@tufa23 @Windowseat NTSB backlog....
Yup. another alcohol related crash. The story on the tube says it all " If you even think you may of had too much don't get behind the wheel"  The key word here is THINK. The problem is even with a little alcohol is the first thing you lose is common sense. Â
Agree with jellyfish that I hope this is a lesson for the kids that looked up to them.Â
They made a horrible mistake that cost them their lives. The pilot was drunk but I think those passengers were drunk too, because I think if they were not they would have not gone flying. If you compare it to driving its probably a little bit harder I'd think. They drove around drunk then they went flying drunk, very irresponsible! I hope their families get some peace out of this. Why was the toxicology report hidden for so long? The toxicology comes out 4-5 days after the most, there is also something fishy.Â
Why did it take almost 13 months after the accident for this information to come to light?!!
@NWNative that government efficiency at it's best
and one other little thing here... people died. The result and the cause will be litigated to the extreme, to the tune of perhaps millions of dollars. You want the NTSB to do a slap-dash investigation ala the way you conduct your own personal life??
@NW PilotYou are correct in some respects:Â
"an NTSB investigation is a "fact-finding proceeding with no formal issues and no adverse parties. [It is] ... not conducted for the purpose of determining the rights or liabilities of any person." 49 C.F.R. s 831.4 (1998)."Â Â
However, the facts determined by NTSB will certainly be used one way or another in future litigation. It's happened before and will again.
The NTSB report cannot be used in court. Part of the process to ensure that their reports are factual (to the best they can be) and unbiased.
@DoctorPC@NWNative Thanks for your ignorant post. The NTSB conducts meticulous investigations, covering every detail. The preliminary reports are issued usually within days. The final reports take months or longer and cover every aspect of an accident or incident, from weather, mechanical, toxicology, psychological, and other miscellaneous factors. The one thing they cannot address is pure stupidity of observers and commentators... sadly....
@Watcher3 @tufa23 @DoctorPC @NWNative and I still say the OP was ignorant. It shows that he has no clue about the process here.
@Watcher3 @tufa23 @DoctorPC @NWNative  Agreed. The final report is pending. It is interesting to note that in the factual, the words "drunk" or "intoxicated" do not appear anywhere, though there is mention of the legal limits of ethanol and acting as PIC
@tufa23 @DoctorPC @NWNative This is not a final report with probable cause. This is a factual report.
This is finally in the media. I know a friend of theirs was telling me that they were intoxicated almost six months ago but it was being kept out of the press for some reason. I think it's important for this to be known by the students who loved these coaches and idolized them. Let this be their final lesson to those kids who looked up to them, let something good come of this tragedy!
If you thought drunk driving was bad.......wow.