Incident Overview
A mosquito control spraying flight conducted at night resulted in a collision with a 520-foot television tower. The airplane struck the tower approximately 20 feet below its top. Witnesses reported hearing the aircraft and observing its marker lights, but they did not see any lights on the tower.
Power Outage
At 0330, an automobile accident caused a loss of electrical power in the area, including the power supply to the television tower. This outage rendered the tower's obstruction lights inoperative.
Pilot Briefing
The pilot did not obtain a weather or preflight briefing prior to the flight. Such a briefing would have included NOTAM information indicating that the tower's power and lights had failed.
Aircraft Condition
No mechanical problems were reported by the pilot, nor were any discovered during the post-accident examination of the airplane.