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.
Showing 1 to 25 of 28 comments | View All
The City Chippy, Sydney (12/11/2009 at 09:33)
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.
Of Denton, Tameside (12/11/2009 at 11:15)
Sticky Middle Finger (12/11/2009 at 11:44)
Esso Blue, Manchester (12/11/2009 at 12:02)
PW, Manchester (12/11/2009 at 12:28)
lebist, blackley (12/11/2009 at 12:36)
curiousyellow, Rusholme (12/11/2009 at 14:29)
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.
Roy Gregory, Exile (12/11/2009 at 14:37)
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.
citycentre, manchester (12/11/2009 at 15:11)
"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.
Of Denton, Tameside (12/11/2009 at 15:17)
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.
Esso Blue, Manchester (12/11/2009 at 16:11)
PW, Manchester (12/11/2009 at 19:24)
lebist, blackley (13/11/2009 at 11:58)
Roy Gregory, Exile (13/11/2009 at 12:35)
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?
Rob Wilson (13/11/2009 at 13:19)
salfordrat (14/11/2009 at 08:15)
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.
lebist, blackley (14/11/2009 at 11:21)
moaning bugger, reddish (14/11/2009 at 20:24)
citycentre, manchester (15/11/2009 at 10:19)
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?
Angie33 , Manchester (15/11/2009 at 11:20)
Angie33 , Manchester (15/11/2009 at 11:43)
lebist, blackley (15/11/2009 at 13:09)
Andanotherthing, Mcr (15/11/2009 at 17:40)
Esso Blue, Manchester
12/11/2009 at 12:02#
Esso, I think I love you.
citycentre, manchester (15/11/2009 at 17:44)
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.
lebist, blackley (15/11/2009 at 23:43)