A student pilot was under the influence of cocaine when he was co-piloting the private plane that crashed with five other social media influencers.
According to the Maricopa County Medical Examiner’s Office in Arizona, James Pedroza (above) had traces of the drug in his system when he was sitting in the front of the plane that crashed on April 9.
It’s unclear who was in control of the plane at the time, as Pedroza, a VIP host in Las Vegas, was sitting with certified 26-year-old pilot Erik Valente.
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Both men died in the crash, along with influencers Mariah Sunshine Coogan, 23, Anand Patel, 26, Helena Lagos, 22 and Iris Rodriguez Garcia, 23.
The aircraft was headed for Las Vegas, but plummeted into TPC Scottsdale Champions Golf Course 15 minutes after takeoff. According to CBS News, Pedroza checked in with air traffic control minutes before the plane went down, but did not indicate that he was having trouble.
When the air traffic controller asked him if he was having any trouble, the 28-year-old replied:
“Uh, we’re good, we’re just a training lesson.”
The plane went down moments later.
Online records show Pedroza died of blunt force injuries and thermal trauma. All but one of the passengers suffered from blunt force injuries and burns; Coogan died from blunt force injuries but not burns.
Pedroza called himself an “avid traveler” on his Instagram where he frequently shared photos of his adventures. He wrote in his bio that he had visited 36 countries and was looking forward to his 37th.
[Image via Instagram.]
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