Aviation authorities contend a Spokane private pilot was drunk when he took off from Pasco headed for Henderson Executive Airport near Las Vegas before crashing and starting a fire at a municipal airport in Mesquite, Nevada.

41-year old Ryan Dashiell of Spokane was the only person on board the fiery crash, amazingly escaping any serious harm, as firefighters doused the flames of the twin-engine Cessna 550.

Dashiell was arrested and booked into the clink on a flying under the influence charge after being cleared by the hospital.

Pilot Under Influence Arrest
Mesquite Detention Center
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The FAA and the National Transportation Safety Board are investigating.

Dashiell has been a certified airline transport pilot since at least 2001, according to FAA records.

Previously, he was charged with a DUI in Spokane County District Court in 2007, but he was convicted of negligent driving and sentenced to serve 90 days in jail

More here.

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