CNN —The pilot of a hot air balloon that crashed in Arizona in January, leaving four people dead, had high levels of the psychedelic drug ketamine in his blood system, according to a forensic examination report from the Pinal County Medical Examiner’s Office.
Cornelius van der Walt, the 37-year-old pilot of the balloon, had ketamine levels of between 1.1 to 1.2 mg/L in his system, according to toxicology testing from the FAA and from NMS Labs.
For comparison, the United Kingdom considers ketamine levels over .02 mg/L to be indicative of impaired driving ability, the report says.
Van der Walt had no reported prescription for ketamine, and the drug was not used during resuscitation attempts, the report states.
The medical examiner’s report stems from the hot air balloon crash in Eloy, Arizona, on January 14 in which the pilot and three other people were killed.
Persons:
Cornelius van der Walt, Van der Walt, van der Walt, Chayton Wiescholek, Kaitlynn Bartrom, Atahan Kiliccote, Valerie Stutterheim, Cameron Balloons
Organizations:
CNN, FAA, NMS Labs, US Drug Enforcement Administration, US Food and Drug Administration, National Transportation Safety Board, ” Police, NTSB
Locations:
Arizona, Pinal County, United Kingdom, Eloy , Arizona, Eloy, Union City , Michigan, Andrews , Indiana, Cupertino , California, Scottsdale , Arizona