NTSB: Danville Danville crash caused by struggle

By Bernard Baker

Published: July 1, 2008

The pilot of a plane that crashed on Lexington Avenue on April 19, 2007, was struggling with a diabetic passenger having tremors minutes before the fatal crash, according to a report from the National Transportation Safety Board.

That struggle over flight controls and the pilot not being able to maintain control of the plane caused the crash, the report states.

However, the report points out that pilot William P. Price, 63, of Pittsburgh, did not report to the Federal Aviation Administration that he was being treated for medical conditions on his most recent medical certificate.

Toxicology reports state he was taking butalbital, a painkiller for tension headaches, venlafaxine, an anti-depressant, and ibuprofen, according to the report.

“The pilot may have been sufficiently distracted or impaired by his existing medical conditions that he did not adequately handle an impending or evolving incapacitating event in his passenger; it is less likely that he was impaired by the medications used to treat those conditions,” the NTSB said.

Price answered that he was not using any medications or he claimed no medical problems in the report, including frequent or severe headaches and mental disorders, according to the NTSB. His application also stated that he had not visited a health professional in the last three years.

The report states the passenger, identified by federal investigators as Robert Depp, 64, also of Pennsylvania, had an insulin pump for diabetes and tests showed quinine in his system. The drug is used to treat malaria, and the frequency of leg cramps.

“Even in non-diabetics, quinine can result in low blood sugar, a condition most commonly seen in diabetics on insulin and can lead to behavioral changes, confusion, fatigue, seizures, and loss of consciousness,” the NTSB said.

Price was piloting the Grumman American AA-5B outside of Danville when he radioed the Danville Regional Airport saying his passenger was wrestling with him, the report states.

Danville authorities gave Price clearance for a straight visual approach to the airport, the NTSB said.

Price did not respond to authorization to land, and the airplane struck trees, fatally injuring both occupants, the report states. They were headed to Myrtle Beach, S.C., before the accident took place shortly after 9 a.m.

• Contact Bernard Baker at or (434) 791-7986.