CARGO CARRIER ON DSCNT HITS TREE.

Date: 1994-03 · Aircraft: Commercial Fixed Wing

Anomalies: deviation-discrepancy-procedural-far|inflight-event-encounter-cftt-cfit

Synopsis

CARGO CARRIER ON DSCNT HITS TREE.

Narrative

I TAXIED OUT AT RIVERTON; WY; IFR TO DENVER; CO. I PICKED UP MY CLRNC TO DENVER FROM ZLC; CLRED AS FILED; FL210. THE FLT PLAN RTE IS DIRECT MEDICINE BOW J-170 DENVER FL210. ABOUT 20 OR 30 MI SE OF RIVERTON; I REQUESTED AND RECEIVED A VECTOR DIRECT TO ESTUS INTXN; HDG 125 DEGS. A FEW MINS LATER I WAS HANDED OVER TO ZDV AND GIVEN A HDG OF 135 DEGS TO INTERCEPT THE DENVER 313 DEG RADIAL. ABOUT 30 MI NW OF LARAMIE OUR COMPANY CALLED AND REQUESTED THAT I GO TO HAYDEN AND PICK UP ADDITIONAL FREIGHT. I CONTACTED ZDV AND REQUESTED A CLRNC TO HAYDEN. THEY GAVE ME A HDG OF 210 DEGS; DIRECT HAYDEN WHEN ABLE; FL210. APPROX 50 OR 55 MI OUT OF HAYDEN; CTR CLRED ME PLT'S DISCRETION TO 14000 FT. I STARTED MY DSCNT AND TUNED THE AWOS IN ON MY #2 RADIO. IT RPTED CLR BELOW 12000 FT; VISIBILITY 10 MI; WINDS W AT 5. SOMEWHERE BTWN 16000 FT AND 14000 FT I HAD THE ARPT IN SIGHT AND CANCELED IFR. CTR SUGGESTED THAT I STAY WITH THEM FOR A WHILE FOR OTHER TFC; A WESTWIND INBOUND FROM THE E. CONTINUING MY DSCNT I TUNED THE #2 RADIO TO 122.1 AND FILED A FLT PLAN TO DENVER. SOMEWHERE BTWN 15 AND 25 MI OUT; STILL DSNDING WITH THE ARPT IN SIGHT; I DON'T KNOW THE ALT; I FELT SOMETHING HIT THE AIRPLANE AND THE L WINDSHIELD SHATTERED. UNABLE TO SEE I MOVED TO THE R SEAT AND CONTINUED INBOUND. I APPEARED TO BE WELL ABOVE THE TERRAIN AND DIDN'T HAVE ANY IDEA WHAT I HAD HIT. I SUSPECTED A GOOSE; OR MY WORST FEAR; ANOTHER AIRPLANE. I TRIED TO EVALUATE THE DAMAGE AS BEST I COULD. THE AIRPLANE WAS PULLING HARD TO THE L AND THE L ENG CTLS WERE JAMMED; BUT BOTH ENGS WERE RUNNING OKAY. I CONTINUED FOR THE ARPT; CROSSED MIDFIELD AND MADE A R DOWNWIND FOR RWY 10. I TURNED FINAL AND SHUT THE L ENG DOWN AND LANDED. AFTER I WAS ON THE GND AND HAD A CHANCE TO LOOK THE AIRPLANE OVER; I FOUND TREE BRANCHES ON THE AIRPLANE AND REALIZED WHAT HAD HAPPENED. EVEN THOUGH I APPEARED TO BE WELL ABOVE THE TERRAIN; AND HAD THE ARPT IN SIGHT ALL THE WAY; OBVIOUSLY I WASN'T HIGH ENOUGH. FORTUNATELY; I WAS THE ONLY PERSON ON BOARD AND THERE WERE NO INJURIES.

Source: NASA Aviation Safety Reporting System (public domain). Reports are voluntary submissions and are not verified by NASA.