On January 24, 2004, an Aeronca 7AC (registration N1087E) was involved in an aviation accident near Prairieville, MI. Investigators recorded the probable cause as: The pilot's failure to maintain altitude/clearance from the transmission wires during final approach. Factors to the accident were the unmarked transmission wires and their support poles. This summary draws on records from the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) historical archive.
A pilot reported his aircraft's landing skis caught three unmarked transmission wires while attempting to climb away during a landing approach to a frozen lake. The skis collapsed during the subsequent hard landing, and the airplane slid nose-down for about 100 feet.
Accident Details
The accident occurred when a flight of two airplanes was attempting to land on a frozen lake. The accident airplane was following the other airplane during the final approach. The pilot of the preceding airplane announced over the radio "watch for wires" just prior to a successful landing.
The accident pilot stated that his airplane's landing skis caught all three transmission wires as he attempted to climb away from the obstacle. He reported that the landing skis collapsed during the subsequent hard landing, and the airplane slid nose-down for approximately 100 feet.
The transmission wires were not marked, and their support poles were positioned in a forested area adjacent to the lakeshore.
Findings
The airplane impacted three transmission lines while on final approach to the frozen lake.