A helicopter pilot wasn’t paying attention in a fatal helicopter crash that took the lives of four people last year, according to a National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) report released Tuesday.

•  NTSB investigators say a helicopter pilot was so busy watching deer he didn’t notice a power line during a Fish and Game aerial deer survey in January 2010.

•  The chopper hit the power line, crashed and burst into flames, killing the pilot and all three passengers on board.

•  An autopsy revealed that the pilot had traces of antihistamines and opiates in his system, but the NTSB hasn’t said whether those drugs were a factor in the fatal crash.

The report criticized the pilot but stopped short of officially faulting him in the deadly crash that occurred on January 5, 2010, during a Fish and Game aerial deer survey, according to a report in the Fresno Bee.

The pilot, 70-year-old Dennis Donovan of Palm Springs, hit a power line and crashed his helicopter, with three Freno Fish and Game workers on board, in a mountainous area of Madera County. The heliocopter burst into flames. Donovan and all three of his passengers — 48-year-old biologist Clu Cotter, 40-year-old biologist Kevin O’Connor,  and 31-year-old aide Tom Stolberg – died in the crash.

The NTSB report stated that the Southern California Edison power lines were not marked but were clearly indicated on a map, which the pilot should have consulted.

Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) guidelines require utility companies to place lights and visible markers on power lines and towers that stand higher than 200 feet above ground level, according to a report in the San Jose Mercury News. The towers that held the SoCal Edison power line that Donovan hit stood 81 and 95 feet above ground level, the NTSB report stated. That power line and others in the area were documented on a map that was found in debris at the crash site.

Investigators concluded that Donovan wasn’t paying careful attention to obstacles. Two Fish and Game employees who previously had flown with Donovan told the NTSB they became alarmed when the pilot  appeared to be “trying too hard” to observe deer instead of watching out for potential hazards; they said they had to admonish him for his behavior during the flight.

An autopsy showed that Donovan had traces of doxylamine, an antihistamine also used as a sedative, and the opiate painkiller hydrocodone in his system. The NTSB did not indicate whether the drugs were a factor in the crash.

The families of the three Fish and Game workers killed in the fiery crash have filed wrongful death lawsuits against Landells Aviation and Southern California Edison in Los Angeles Superior Court.

The trial attorneys at Blackman Legal Group, a California-based law firm founded by renowned trial attorney Clifford Blackman, have been representing injury victims since 1976, and have special expertise in cases involving wrongful death.  The nationwide toll-free number to call for a free consultation is 1-866-692-8126.