Pilot in deadly Texas balloon crash had drugs in system
The documents released last week by the National Transportation Safety Board showed that 49-year-old pilot Alfred "Skip" Nichols had Oxycodone in his system, along with medications for an array of conditions like attention deficit disorder (ADD) and depression. The Federal Aviation Administration's guidelines indicate that a pilot should not fly while using sedatives like Oxycodone, most antidepressants, or medications for ADD, the documents said. The accident killed all 16 people on board, making it the deadliest crash ever involving a hot air balloon in the Western Hemisphere, according to the Balloon Federation of North America.