A DAD-OF-TWO who died when his plane crashed on moorland may have been under the influence of cannabis, an official report has found.
Niall Gover, 41, was killed when the light aircraft he was piloting came down on Saddleworth Moor, near Oldham last year.
A report on the crash, published today, reveals the presence of chemical THC-COOH in the Stockport man's bloodstream. The chemical is derived from the active ingredient in cannabis.
Tragedy
Despite those findings the investigation into the crash says it is unclear when Mr Gover had consumed the drug in the build up to the tragedy.
Mr Gover owned Orchards Day Nursery in Heaton Moor with his partner, Sharon Mills, a registered nurse.
Air Accidents Investigation Branch report
"...the possibility remains that the pilot was under the influence of the drug at the time of the accident and that his judgment may have been sufficiently impaired for this to have been a factor in the accident.”
He left behind Charlotte, six, and her younger brother Max, three, who attended the nursery at the time of the crash.
A report from the Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB) said the presence of THC-COOH did not necessarily reflect consumption in the 24 hours before the accident on October 8, 2008.
The report states: “It is possible that consumption, active or passive, took place before that and the pilot's judgment was not affected by the drug at the time.
Influence
“However, without evidence to the contrary, the possibility remains that the pilot was under the influence of the drug at the time of the accident and that his judgment may have been sufficiently impaired for this to have been a factor in the accident.”
Mr Gover was flying from Barton Aerodrome to Shacklewell Lodge - a small private airstrip near RAF Cottesmore at Oakham in Rutland.
The accident report said that his aircraft descended rapidly and crashed 'probably as a result of a loss of control following an inadvertent entry into cloud'.
Raised in Lincolnshire Mr Gover went to university in Portsmouth before joining the Army's 16 light anti-aircraft regiment from 1994 to 1998.
Proficient
The report states that he learned to fly first on gliders and then as a member of a university squadron in 1987. He then took lessons at Barton in 2006 and obtained his pilot's licence in April 2007.
It adds that Mr Gover bought a share in the aircraft that crashed and began flying it in January 2008.
Barton's Chief Flying Instructor described Mr Gover as 'very proficient at handling the aircraft' but had 'expressed concern about his judgement', the report said.
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“It is possible that consumption, active or passive, took place before that and the pilot's judgment was not affected by the drug at the time.
Next paragraph - He was stoned.
As a habitual smoker of weed a reefa the day before does not effect any judgment of actions, little bit rude the headline.
The fact that THC-COOH was present means that he had at some time consumed cannabis. He would only have been 'under the influence' had 11-OH-THC also been present so it is not difficult to determine whether he was under the influence or not.
You mean he might have been higher than he thought
I wouldn't condone flying an aircraft on dope, but it isn't exactly the same as driving on the road and loosing concentration and taking your eye off the road for a second. Up in the air you have plenty of time to correct, you only have to look at the horizon ball thing to know you are going straight. Maybe he had a black-out.
They can't tell exactly when the cannabis was taken, so the effect of the drug on him can't be determined. I don't think a pilot should be using it at all though.
City Chippy were you stoned when you wrote that rubbish?The active ingredient was in his blood stream.If it had been alcohol he would have been under the influence.Where's the difference,and what's wrong with the headline?
lebist, blackley
12/11/2009 at 12:36
"were you stoned when you wrote that rubbish?"
what "rubbish"
Everything city chippy wrote made perfect sense.
If you drink a single shot of whisky, the next day there will still be traces of alcohol in your bloodstream, but you certainly won't be "under the influence".I suggest you get an education before you spout off about something you know very little on and embaress yourself.
I think the salient point in the Express report was; “Barton's Chief Flying Instructor described Mr Gover as 'very proficient at handling the aircraft' but had 'expressed concern about his judgement'”. If you read the AAIB Report, it goes on to say “The areas of concern included decisions on whether to fly in weather which was marginal or unsuitable, and instances of flight recorded as flown at unusually high speeds and power settings. Members of the group which owned the aircraft had also discussed concerns about the pilot’s judgement, and whether he would continue as a member of the group.” That, when read with the Express report; “the accident report said that his aircraft descended rapidly and crashed 'probably as a result of a loss of control following an inadvertent entry into cloud' gives all the clues we need. For the benefit of the non aviators and the Microsoft Flight Sim experts; entering cloud (even with Esso Blue’s “horizon ball thing”) can be very disorientating without the necessary training and experience. It has killed people before and will do again. From the AAIB Report, the machine Mr Gover was flying had no Gyro Horizon nor any other gyro instrument. Flying in cloud or even without sight of the horizon without any gyro instruments is close to suicidal. I’ve done it once deliberately and I will never do it again!
As part of his licence qualification, Mr Gower would have been trained and examined on Human Performance and limitations. That covers the effects of drugs in some depth and detail. He may or may not have been adversely influenced by drugs but that is part of his judged decision making. I would suggest that the cannabis connection makes good headlines but adds little to understanding the likely cause of accident.
lebist, blackley
"City Chippy were you stoned when you wrote that rubbish?The active ingredient was in his blood stream.If it had been alcohol he would have been under the influence"
Where you? As it says in the article "presence of THC-COOH - a chemical derived from the active ingredient of cannabis" so a derivative of THC, not the active ingredient.
I'll re-iterate -
The fact that THC-COOH was present means that he had at some time consumed cannabis. He would only have been 'under the influence' had 11-OH-THC also been present so it is not difficult to determine whether he was under the influence or not.
They can trace cannabis in your system up to two weeks after a joint.
Esso Blue, if they can detect it from hair, then it must be lot more than 2 weeks.
curiuosyellow in my uneducated way I wrote he would have been under the influence rather than he could have been under the influence so I apologise for that.I have no doubt that the odd joint now and then,like the odd wiskey,may do no harm,but when cannabis is used habitually there is evidence to suggest that the long term effects can be much more serious and the headline seems to fit the story exactly.
lebist, blackley 13/11/2009 at 11:58, “the headline seems to fit the story exactly” because the headline has been made the story. Had there been a school, old people’s home, hospital, dog’s home or anything equally dramatic on Saddleworth Moor for him to wrestle with the controls to avoid, the barely consequential Cannabis factor would probably not have featured.
I detest the drug “culture” in general, let alone drug crazed bird men. If the AAIB are sufficiently satisfied that drugs were not a significant contributory factor, though, it should be good enough for us. The news story here is that a probably over confident and insufficiently equipped man probably entered cloud in an aeroplane under control, then departed cloud in an aeroplane out of control, That’s so dull isn’t it?
..............as are the long term affects of alchohol.
curiuosyellow in my uneducated way I wrote he would have been under the influence rather than he could have been under the influence so I apologise for that.I have no doubt that the odd joint now and then,like the odd wiskey,may do no harm,but when cannabis is used habitually there is evidence to suggest that the long term effects can be much more serious and the headline seems to fit the story exactly.
lebist, blackley
Actually, there isn't. Evdence to suggest that I mean. Evidnce tends to be conclusive. Some studies (usually government ones) suggest that long term and heavy use can lead to certain mental health problems but this is far from conclusive. There has never been a serious government study carried out because they know what the rest of the world alreadyknows - that it would prove inconclusive at best. We do know that there has never been any documented evidence of any serious harm done to anybody using cannabis as a direct result of the drug.
Salfordrat there is plenty of evidence that suggests there are long term effects it just depends on whether you believe it or not.If your a pothead then the chances are you wont (or don't care anyway).I think the last sentence of your post needs a bit of a rethink as there is a great deal of documented evidence that not only some users but also some who have been unfortunate enough to come into contact with them have suffered serious harm as a direct result of the drug.
dont tell me.......it was for pain releif, wish i had a pound everytime i heard that one
lebist, blackley and salfordrat
Any chance of pointing us in the direction of these studies to claim ot have read, author, where they were published for example, so we can look and judge for ourselves?
Ive used cannabis for medical reasons.On the first occasion it was for agonizing spasms in the lower back which I was hospitalized with numerous times,put on traction and other methods.None of which worked.As it turned out it would disappear on its own ,anything from 2 days to 2 weeks later.Years later I discovered it was caused by fluid being retained and gathering around the base of the spine.In the meantime I discovered if I used cannabis when the attack came,which by the way made me completely immobile,I could be back up,moblie and able to do something about ridding myself of excess fluid within 12 hrs.I never needed to stay in hospital again.On other occasions Ive used it for relief from lifelong mental health problems.Again I never had to go in hospital again.Ive not been in hospital with either of these conditions for over 20yrs.And yes I did find the affect pleasant.With regard to the legal drug alcohol .How many people say they have a drink for medicinal reasons.Stress,pain,to soothe away worry,to sleep.to conquer shyness,to give confidence etc etc.They can be lay in the gutter still proclaiming they dont drink much/only to relax after work and so on.At least the younger generation are honest about why they drink-To get as blathered as possible!Maybe that is a better starting point for debate.I used to binge drink when I was younger.I was blotting things out that I didnt know how to deal with.I wanted to fit in.I was searching for something.I was in a rut that was turning into a downward spiral,and I knew something was wrong but didnt know what it was and was on a sort of death mission.I believed I would be dead at an early age.I did get help eventually and I was off that path and have never felt as hopeless since.I dont know the answers for the problems of binge drinking young people and adults.If the people like recovering addicts or alcoholics try to shed some light on the problm,not that theyre often asked ,then the righteous say 'What right have they to speak!'.So we stay where we are.No solutions.
Can I add.Not to say that since then I have never had too much to drink.The big difference is I dont blame anyone or anything else.I feel ashamed,weak,irresponsible and a complete idiot.I know its not acceptable in my case.In the past 'ignorance was bliss'.Ive not got that excuse now.
citycentre Google"long term effects of cannabis use".There are around 263,000 web sites.I hope you find what your looking for.
I wouldn't condone flying an aircraft on dope, but it isn't exactly the same as driving on the road and loosing concentration and taking your eye off the road for a second. Up in the air you have plenty of time to correct, you only have to look at the horizon ball thing to know you are going straight. Maybe he had a black-out.
Esso Blue, Manchester
12/11/2009 at 12:02#
Esso, I think I love you.
lebist, blackley
Not really, since you state "there is plenty of evidence that suggests there are long term effects it just depends on whether you believe it or not.If your a pothead then the chances are you wont", which tends to indicate that you are pre judging whatever evidence you may have seen, it would be useful to know which specific studies you have seen; who carried them out and who paid for them, what they were looking for, who they looked at etc.
OK citycentre if thats all you need I'll see what I can do for you,and while I'm at it I'll look for some evidence that says that there are no long term problems caused by cannabis addiction (sorry,I mean habitual use )but it may take some time.