Man taking Ambien calls 911, imagines he's in a plane crash

RENTON, WA (KTRK) -- A 911 call in which a man claimed he was in a plane crash, but was actually experiencing a hallucination, is raising questions about the sleeping aid Ambien.

KOMO reports the 75-year-old caller said he was in small cargo plane with three unconscious people, but as it turns out, he imagined the whole thing. He was actually at home.

One sleep expert believes this could have been a side effect of Ambien. Dr. Gandis Mazeika, of Sound Sleep Health, said, "It must have seemed like he was right in the middle of it, so it must have been almost like a real hallucination for him, and that does speak to some of the potency of Ambien."

The man who imagined the plane crash just had surgery. It's unclear if he mixed other drugs and that caused the reaction.

The drug's developer says Ambien is perfectly safe when taken as directed.