Accident Overview
A flying club operated rental airplane impacted a 25-foot high unlighted utility pole while on short final approach to the destination airport. The collision occurred 750 feet from the landing threshold. The electrical lines spanning the utility poles were equipped with red and white balls with reflective tape. The power line poles were not equipped with obstruction lights, though lower traffic light poles had obstruction lights. The presence of poles was cited in the Airport Facility Directory, a publication for pilots in flight planning. The landing runway was the shortest and narrowest of the runways at the airport. According to the Instrument Flying Handbook, this can create an illusion that the aircraft is at a higher altitude than it actually is, especially when runway length-to-width relationships are comparable.
Flight Details
The flight was a business trip for the left seat pilot to pick up two passengers and then proceed to another destination. Civil twilight with visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time of the accident. The left seat pilot, a club member and instructor, was the flying pilot. The club's president, a rated pilot and certified flight instructor, occupied the right seat and performed radio and non-flying pilot duties, as on previous flights. During the approach, the right seat pilot stated that the radar altimeter indicated an altitude of 200 feet above ground level two miles from the landing runway. At that time, the right seat pilot pulled on the yoke and said "no lower until we are at the 'fence.'" A few seconds later, after the right seat pilot released the controls, he felt a "bump."
Pilot Information
During an interview, the left seat pilot said he had not been checked out in the incident airplane and could not cite what requirements for such a checkout would be. He had a total flight time of 9 hours in the incident airplane at the time of the incident. He initially stated that the club's president was serving as a "flight instructor, safety pilot, or whatever." The club's president reported a total flight time of 193 hours in the incident airplane. He later stated that the flight, as others previously through the flying club, were charter flights. The flying club did not hold a Federal Aviation Administration issued air carrier certificate.