No fatalities

11 Oct 2016: BELLANCA 8KCAB — Knoxville, TN

Knoxville, TN, United States

On 11 Oct 2016, a BELLANCA 8KCAB was involved in an aviation accident near Knoxville, TN. No fatalities were reported. Investigators recorded the probable cause as: The pilot's decision to operate at a low altitude, which led to a failure to maintain sufficient clearance from unmarked utility wires. This summary draws on records from NTSB; 12 related events involving the same aircraft type or operator are linked below.

SourcesNTSBPrimary reportUpdated 1778583330Data APIEditorial standards

A Bellanca 8KCAB struck unmarked utility wires over a river, resulting in an impact with the water.

What happened

On October 11, 2016, a Bellanca 8KCAB, registration N2504Z, was flying along a river shortly after departure. During the flight, the aircraft struck two of five unmarked utility wires that were spanning across the river. Following the collision with the wires, the airplane impacted the water below.

The accident resulted in 2 minor injuries to the pilot and passenger. The airframe sustained substantial damage.

Findings

The pilot suggested that the accident could have been prevented by increasing altitude minimums by at least double to provide enough reaction time to avoid obstacles.

Probable cause

The pilot's decision to operate at a low altitude, which led to a failure to maintain sufficient clearance from unmarked utility wires.

Contributing factors

Effect on operationPilotAltitude — Not attained/maintained