What happened
The incident occurred during a night visual flight rules (VFR) approach to an airport. While on final approach, the pilot became disoriented by external lighting conditions. Specifically, the pilot misidentified street lights located in a nearby mobile home park as the runway approach lights.
Due to this misidentification, the pilot continued to descend below the intended glide path. The aircraft collided with overhead wires situated in the descent corridor. Following the collision, the pilot managed to regain control and continued toward the intended runway. A successful landing was subsequently executed without further incident.
The investigation
Post-accident inspection of the airframe revealed significant structural damage to the empennage. Examination of the tail section showed that parts were missing from the assembly. This included the complete loss of the rudder and other associated components due to the impact with the wires during the unauthorized descent.
Findings
The primary factor contributing to the incident was the pilot's failure to properly identify runway lighting cues during a night approach. This error led to an inadvertent descent into obstacles. The collision resulted in substantial damage to the aircraft's control surfaces, specifically the tail section and rudder.