Pilot in Hot Air Balloon Crash Had Cannabis in His System

In New Zealand last week, the pilot of a Jan 7th, 2012 hot-air balloon crash that killed all 11 people on board was found to have cannabis in his system.

Apparently the pilot was a long time marijuana user, and evidence for his use that day was found in a post-mortem examination. Two witnesses also allegedly saw the pilot smoking something on the morning of the accident.

The authorities said there was calm weather and no maintenance issues with the balloon. They determined that the crash was caused by functional errors by the pilot, who was likely impaired by marijuana. The pilot’s mistake was allowing the balloon to descend to the level of power lines. Instead of drifting down as soon as possible, he tried to engage the burner and float above them.

Crashing into power lines is probably the worst thing that can happen to a hot-air ballon, and the fact that 11 people died, mostly couples, is tragic.

This story is an important reminder that there are some situations where it is not acceptable to be high. The pilot was a long time user; the type who aren’t as impaired as much as a newcomer. But still, marijuana will affect our ability to use proper judgement, act, and react, no matter how much of a tolerance we have.