Colombia Crash Pilot Hadn’t Been Drinking
Tests show that the pilot of an American Airlines jet that crashed in the mountains of Colombia last month was not operating under the influence of alcohol, CBS News reported Friday.
The new forensic tests were ordered after preliminary lab work revealed alcohol in the remains of pilot Nicholas Tafuri.
CBS, which did not reveal its sources, said investigators now believe the alcohol came from the natural decay of human tissues, a process that can occur when the recovery of remains is delayed. Tafuri’s body was not recovered for more than 40 hours after the crash.
The tests were performed at the Armed Forces Institute of Pathology at Walter Reed Hospital in Washington, CBS said.
The Dec. 20 flight from Miami crashed in the mountains near Colombia’s Cali airport, killing 160 people. Four people and a dog survived.
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