DISTRIBUTION AND OPTICAL PURITY OF METHAMPHETAMINE FOUND IN TOXIC CONCENTRATION IN A CIVIL AVIATION ACCIDENT PILOT FATALITY
The Federal Aviation Administration's Civil Aerospace Medical Institute conducts toxicological evaluation of postmortem biological samples collected from pilots involved in fatal civil aircraft accidents. The submitted samples are primarily analyzed for the presence of primary combustion gases, alcohol/volatiles, and drugs. Related to such an evaluation, findings of a unique aircraft accident are described in this report. Upon colliding with terrain in weather conditions of poor visibility, a 1-occupant airplane was substantially damaged, with no evidence of fire. Remains of the pilot were found outside the crashed aircraft. Pathological examination revealed multiple blunt force injuries and vascular congestion, including subdural hemorrrhage of the cerebral cortex. Autopsied samples -- blood, brain, gastric contents, heart, liver, muscle, spleen, urine, and vitreous fluid -- were submitted for toxicological analysis. The fluorescence polarization immunoassay disclosed 8.0 micrograms/mL amphetamines in urine. Subsequent gas chromatographic/mass spectrometric confirmatory analysis determined the presence of methamphetamine (1.134 micrograms/mL in blood and 59.171 migrograms/mL in urine) and amphetamine (0.022 migrograms/mL in blood and 1.495 micrograms/mL in urine). Both amines were present in all the submitted sample types, except for amphetamine, which was detected neither in vitreous fluid nor in muscle. The amount of methamphetamine found in gastric contests was 575-fold higher than that of amphetamine. Stereochemical analyses of gastric contents, blood, and urine using a chiral probe, (S)-(--)-N-(trifluoroacetyl)prolyl chloride, indicated that methamphetamine detected in the sample types was not optically pure. In gastric contents and urine, this secondary amine's optical isomers were present in equal proportions. The enantiomeric excess of (+)-methamphetamine over its (--)-form was about 32% in blood. Both optical forms of amphetamine were present in the ratio of 1.2-1.5:1.0 in the 3 sample types. The blood methamphetamine concentration found was in the range sufficient to product toxic effects. The observed variation in the ratios of amine isomer concentrations in the sample types would have been attributed to stereoselective metabolic and other pharmacokinetic processes. Findings of this study supported the conclusion of the National Transportation Safety Board that, in addition to the visibility-associated adverse meteorological conditions, the use of the controlled substance played a contributory role in the causation of the aircraft accident.
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Corporate Authors:
Federal Aviation Administration
Civil Aerospace Medical Institute, P.O. Box 25082
Oklahoma City, OK United States 73125 -
Authors:
- Chaturvedi, A K
- Cardona, P S
- Soper, J W
- Canfield, D V
- Publication Date: 2003-12
Language
- English
Media Info
- Features: References; Tables;
- Pagination: 10 p.
Subject/Index Terms
- TRT Terms: Air transportation crashes; Aircraft crash victims; Airline pilots; Amphetamines; Crash investigation; Forensic medicine; Toxicology
- Uncontrolled Terms: Methamphetamine; Stereochemical analyses
- Subject Areas: Aviation; Safety and Human Factors;
Filing Info
- Accession Number: 00972497
- Record Type: Publication
- Report/Paper Numbers: DOT/FAA/AM-03/22, Final Report
- Files: TRIS, USDOT
- Created Date: Apr 16 2004 12:00AM