What happened
The captain of the aircraft observed a car trailing smoke while traveling along a dirt road. To investigate the situation, he decided to descend from his en route altitude. After overflying the vehicle, the pilot continued to fly at a low level along the road. During this maneuver, the first officer alerted the captain to the presence of wires, but the pilot was unable to react in time to avoid a collision.
Following the impact with the wires, the captain elected to proceed to his destination. While on approach, the crew heard a loud thud and noted that the left engine had begun shaking. The captain subsequently reduced power and declared an emergency. After receiving a positive visual gear check from the tower, the captain landed the aircraft. As the crew taxied to the ramp, they shut down the left engine.
The investigation
Post-flight inspection revealed broken sections of wire embedded in both the vertical stabilizer and the forward fuselage. Examination of the left propeller showed that the nose section was shattered and the tip of one blade was missing. Ground witnesses present at the time of the incident reported no malfunctions regarding their vehicles.