Accident Details
The aircraft was performing a pipeline patrol flight when it struck a power line and subsequently impacted the ground. A witness reported seeing the airplane flying west at low altitude, parallel to Highway 20. The airplane was approximately two power line poles above the ground and flying slowly.
Witness Account
According to the witness, "All of a sudden, the left wing went down and the right wing went up." The witness described the bank angle as a perpendicular position—a 90-degree vertical bank. The airplane then turned left into a gully, and the left wing impacted the top wire of a power line.
Wreckage Examination
Inspection of the wreckage revealed that the outboard portion of the left wing at the aileron/flap juncture had separated at a 45-degree angle. A downed power line wire was found tangled in the wreckage. The post-accident inspection found no preexisting anomalies that could be associated with a pre-impact condition.
Site Inspection
An on-site inspection of the accident site determined that power lines 35 to 40 feet tall provided power to several nearby residential customers. A power line crossed the highway near the accident site, and no other power lines were observed crossing the highway in the area. The power line the airplane impacted paralleled the south (left) side of the highway.