NTSB releases report on fatal 2015 Petaluma plane crash

The April 2015 crash of an experimental plane near the Petaluma Municipal Airport was caused in part by the 51-year-old student pilot’s use of an antihistamine, according to a report from the National Transportation and Safety Board.|

The April 2015 crash of an experimental plane near the Petaluma Municipal Airport was caused in part by the 51-year-old student pilot’s use of an antihistamine, according to a report from the National Transportation and Safety Board.

David Michael Wright, of Petaluma, was the sole occupant of his experimental ultralight plane when it crashed south of the airport on April 3, 2015.

According to the NTSB probable cause report issued Nov. 29, the two-seat, high-wing, fixed-gear plane crashed about 12:30 p.m. Witnesses quoted in the NTSB report described the plane descending at a sharp angle with both wings folded upward until it hit the ground.

An autopsy by the Sonoma County Coroner’s Office determined the cause of death was multiple extreme blunt force injuries.

Toxicological testing identified diphenhydramine, a sedating antihistamine used to treat allergy symptoms and as a sleep aid. Compared to other antihistamines, diphenhydramine, available over the counter as Benadryl, causes marked sedation, according to the NTSB report.

According to the Federal Aviation Administration, Wright had applied several times for a medical certificate but was denied because of a severe head injury.

Wright’s ultralight plane was registered to a Donald Wayne Wright of Petaluma, apparently purchased in April 2014 under a pseudonym.

A conversation an investigator had with Wright’s ex-wife is noted in the NTSB report, during which she claimed Wright changed his name to Donald “due to the fact he really wanted to fly and could not due to a traumatic brain injury he received,” the report reads. “He was getting SSI disability benefits under the social security number and name of David Michael Wright, which would exclude him from getting a pilot’s license.”

Wright’s student light sport license was issued Jan. 23, 2014. A light sport license doesn’t require medical certification.

He had accumulated 66 total hours of flight time.

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