On August 5, 1995, a Schweizer G-164A-450 (registration N7994) was involved in an aviation accident near Grand Forks, ND. Investigators recorded the probable cause as: The pilot stated that low sun caused visual problems and possibly misjudgment of powerline locations. This summary draws on records from the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) historical archive.
A pilot attempting to evade two sets of powerlines during an agricultural spray run collided with wires, causing the aircraft to yaw and impact the ground. The pilot attributed the incident to visual problems from low sun.
Accident Details
During an agricultural spraying operation, a pilot was conducting passes over a field that had two sets of powerlines on the east side. While finishing the fourth pass, the pilot attempted to go under one set of wires and over the other. The airplane collided with the wires, yawed to the right, and subsequently impacted the ground.
Pilot Account
The pilot reported that he believes the low sun position in the east caused visual difficulties, leading to a possible misjudgment of the powerlines' locations. No other factors were mentioned by the pilot.
Damage
The airplane sustained damage from the collision with the wires and the ground impact. The extent of damage was not specified in the report.
Probable cause
The pilot stated that low sun caused visual problems and possibly misjudgment of powerline locations.