Drug tests pending in plane crash

SANDPOINT — Drug test results are pending in the case of a pilot who crashed at Sandpoint Airport Monday.

According to Sandpoint Police Chief Corey Coon, urine samples from Utah resident Donald Muirhead have been sent to the lab for analysis, which should be complete in three to four weeks.

Test results will likely factor into court proceedings regarding Muirhead’s alleged involvement in an plane crash that destroyed Sandpoint Airport’s landing instruments, Coon said. Muirhead is charged with flying an airplane under the influence of narcotics — not alcohol as previously reported.

The charges are connected to the Monday airport crash, during which the Aerostar 602P piloted by Muirhead slid off the runway and into perimeter fencing at the far end of the airfield. Neither Muirhead nor his two passengers were injured in the incident. However, the collision destroyed the antenna array used by pilots to negotiate landings in darkness or bad weather.

The cost of replacing the equipment could range from $380,000 to $400,000, according to initial estimates. Furthermore, the equipment could take as long as seven months to replace due to the difficulty in acquiring and installing the appropriate instruments, according to airport manager Dave Schuck.

While global positioning systems can still be used to plan a landing in poor visibility, the ground-based antenna array allows pilots to proceed with or abandon their landing from a lower altitude, Schuck said.  

The reduced airport capabilities have some officials worrying about local economic impacts. Individuals landing in Sandpoint on personal or company-owned aircraft have historically been a reliable source of revenue for local hotels, restaurants and tourist industries. In 2009, the airport’s total economic impact was estimated to be $33 million.