Feds: Cocaine a factor in Round Lake pilot’s fatal crash
Round Lake pilot Jeffrey Bronken’s cocaine use was a contributing factor when he ran out of fuel and crashed near Tampa-St. Petersburg, killing himself and his daughter and injuring her friend two years ago, federal documents show.
“The FAA forbids the use of substances that could lead to impairment,” Federal Aviation Administration spokeswoman Elizabeth Isham Cory said.
Jeffrey Bronken, 53, was killed early in the morning of March 22, 2014, when the single-engine Piper PA-28-181 aircraft he was piloting crashed after running out of fuel a few miles north of St. Petersburg-Clearwater International Airport in Florida. Bronken’s 15-year-old daughter, Katherine, who attended Grant Community High School in Fox Lake, died from injuries four days later.
Bronken’s inadequate fuel planning, which resulted in a total loss of engine power due to fuel exhaustion, led to the crash, according to a National Transportation Safety Board probable cause report. The NTSB report states “the pilot’s impairment due to cocaine use” contributed to the crash.
Disappointment in the NTSB report was reflected in a statement to the Daily Herald issued by Bronken family attorney Theodore Karavidas of Barrington. Karavidas has represented Bronken’s widow and Katherine’s mother, Susan, in matters. “The family is further saddened by the conclusion of the NTSB that Jeff’s judgment was impaired to any degree,” the statement reads. “Jeff refueled in Nashville and was informed upon departure that he had enough fuel for 4 hours, 35 minutes of flight time. At the 4 hour 21 minute mark, he realized as he approached his destination airport that a highway landing was required.
“The blood level of cocaine reported by the NTSB was below the threshold needed to produce impairment or physiological effects. The family is disappointed by the questionable conclusion of the NTSB and asks the public to respect their privacy in this time of grief.”
Katherine Bronken’s friend, Keyana Linbo, survived spinal and other serious injuries in the crash. Linbo attends Grant High, where she’s on the girls varsity basketball team.
Linbo’s family learned of the NTSB report shortly after it was filed in late October, said their attorney, Thomas Lake of Libertyville.
“The NTSB concluded, generally, that there was impairment from cocaine use, along with inadequate fuel planning,” Lake said. “I think the inadequate fuel planning was pretty obvious, but the impairment from cocaine use was not. It was surprising and very upsetting to the family.”
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