On March 22, 1986, a Cessna 120 (registration N77483) was involved in an aviation accident near Whitefield, OK. Investigators recorded the probable cause as: The pilot's failure to see a powerline due to sun glare while circling at low altitude, which led to a stall during an evasive maneuver in strong and gusty headwinds with insufficient altitude to recover. This summary draws on records from the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) historical archive.
A pilot circling at very low altitude failed to see a powerline because of sun glare, then stalled while pulling up steeply in gusty winds with insufficient altitude to recover.
What happened
The aircraft was operating at a very low altitude while the pilot circled the area. The pilot likely did not detect a powerline until the aircraft was at an extremely close range, primarily due to intense sun glare obscuring the view.
Upon noticing the obstruction, the pilot attempted to avoid it by pulling up steeply. This maneuver was executed in strong and gusty headwind conditions. The combination of the steep climb angle and the turbulent wind resulted in a stall. Because the aircraft was already at a low altitude, there was insufficient height available to recover from the stall before the aircraft impacted the ground.
The investigation
The investigation focused on the flight dynamics and environmental factors leading to the accident. Key findings included:
The pilot was maintaining a very low altitude during circling operations.
Sun glare significantly reduced the pilot's ability to see obstacles like powerlines until they were too close to avoid safely.
The aircraft stalled due to a steep pull-up maneuver in strong, gusty headwinds.
There was inadequate altitude remaining to recover from the stall before ground impact.
Probable cause
The pilot's failure to see a powerline due to sun glare while circling at low altitude, which led to a stall during an evasive maneuver in strong and gusty headwinds with insufficient altitude to recover.