Cessna 182M CS-DAV Strikes Power Lines During Parachute Operation

Incident Overview On 5 October 2002, a Cessna 182M with registration CS-DAV departed Portimão aerodrome at 11:55 UTC to conduct a parachute-dropping operation near Monte dos Elóis in Paderne. The flight carried the pilot and four parachutists. The operation was associated with a gathering of former military parachutists. ## Flight and Operation The aircraft reached the drop zone after about 15 minutes of flight. The pilot first flew at 2,000 feet to release a wind-sounding device, then climbed in circles to 5,000 feet, where the four parachutists exited normally. After the last jump, the pilot began a wide descending spiral toward a planned return altitude of 1,000 feet QNH. ## Collision with Power Lines Before the jump, another pilot had arranged cars beneath unmarked high-voltage lines to help mark the drop area from the air. Those lines ran north-south and formed the eastern boundary of the jump area. About 50 meters north of the field’s edge, a separate 15 kV three-conductor line ran perpendicular to the first, crossing vineyard and orange-orchard terrain. After the jumps, the pilot made a low north-south pass over the field as a farewell, flying about 7 meters above the orange trees. The pilot used the car-marked lines as a reference but was unaware of the perpendicular 15 kV line, which blended visually with the terrain. After passing the orchard, the aircraft descended slightly below the level of the three conductors. The left wing first struck the three conductors, cutting them. A whipping conductor severed the VHF communications and ADF radio-navigation antennas mounted on the upper exterior of the fuselage and struck the vertical stabilizer, partially tearing off the upper part of the rudder, bending it, and deforming it near mid-height, severely limiting its travel. ## Emergency Return The impact caused the aircraft to roll toward the high-voltage lines to the east. The pilot applied full power and pulled back on the control column, passing over those cables. Believing a crash was imminent, the pilot transmitted a Mayday on 119.400 MHz, the Faro approach frequency, but received no response because the VHF antenna had been lost. Because the aircraft remained controllable, the pilot used a personal mobile phone to contact Faro airport control tower and requested fire and ambulance assistance for an emergency landing. Flying with the left wing low and without directional control due to the stuck rudder, the pilot compared distances to Faro airport and Portimão aerodrome and chose Portimão, transferring the assistance request there. As a precaution, the pilot reduced speed to minimum safe values and increased lift using flaps to reduce sink. The return flight lasted about 18 minutes. At Portimão, the pilot made an approach with tailwind to help manage the aircraft’s tendency to turn left. At a considerable height, the pilot tested the power reduction needed for the landing flare. The source text is truncated before describing the final touchdown, but the synopsis states the pilot made an emergency landing at Portimão assisted by rescue teams, with no further incidents.