YAK55 PLT STRIKES PWR LINES ON SHORT FINAL TO A PVT ARPT.

Date: 2004-08 · Aircraft: Small Aircraft; Low Wing; 1 Eng; Fixed Gear · Phase: approach

Anomalies: conflict-airborne-conflict|inflight-event-encounter-other-unknown

Synopsis

YAK55 PLT STRIKES PWR LINES ON SHORT FINAL TO A PVT ARPT.

Narrative

ON SHORT FINAL TO A PVT TURF ARPT; THE ACFT IMPACTED PWR LINES THAT CROSSED THE APCH END OF RWY 9. I EXECUTED A GAR AFTER HITTING THE WIRES; AND FLEW A L-HAND PATTERN BACK AROUND TO THE SAME RWY AND LANDED SAFELY. I WAS UNFAMILIAR WITH THE ARPT. THE PVT ARPT HAD NO PUBLISHED DATA CONTAINING RWY LENGTH; OBSTACLES; OR DISPLACED THRESHOLDS. THE PWR LINES WERE NOT BURIED UNDERGROUND NOR WERE THERE ANY WIRE MARKERS (ORANGE BALLS) INSTALLED; EVEN THOUGH THE LINES WERE ON THE SAME SIDE OF THE ROAD AS THE RWY. THERE WERE SEVERAL (APPROX 10) ACFT PARKED ON THE SIDES AND ACROSS THE END OF THE RWY NEXT TO THE ROAD IN ADDITION TO APPROX 40-50 PEOPLE NEXT TO THE RWY WATCHING THE ACTIVITY. THE ACFT I FLY HAS VERY LIMITED FORWARD VISIBILITY ESPECIALLY AT LOW AIRSPDS; IE; TKOF AND LNDG. THIS TAILWHEEL EQUIPPED ACFT HAS A SHORT SPAN MID-WING SYMMETRICAL AIRFOIL WITH ZERO ANGLE OF INCIDENCE. THIS REQUIRES A VERY NOSE HIGH PITCH ATTITUDE; AS WELL AS A HIGH APCH SPD ON LNDG. THE AIRPLANE IS FLOWN ONTO THE RWY WITH PWR ON; AND A NO FLARE TOUCHDOWN. THIS; TIED TO THE LACK OF FORWARD VISIBILITY TENDS TO CAUSE THE PLT TO FLY A FLATTER GLIDE PATH TO THE RWY THAN OTHER LIGHT PLANES. I WAS CONCERNED WITH THE POTENTIAL THREAT OF A MIDAIR FIRST; LNDG CLOSE TO THE APCH END OF THE RWY TO PREVENT AN OVERRUN. SECOND; THE POSSIBILITY OF PEOPLE OR ACFT IN MY TARGET LNDG ZONE. THIRD; I WAS TOO CONCERNED WITH PEOPLE OR ACFT GETTING IN THE WAY THAT I DIDN'T THINK TO LOOK FOR OTHER OBSTACLES. AFTER TURNING FINAL I COULDN'T SEE THE ARPT AS THE ENG COWL AND WINGS BLOCK THE VIEW FROM THE COCKPIT. I EXECUTED A FORWARD SLIP; L WING DOWN; TO GET A BETTER VIEW TO CHK FOR TFC/PEOPLE ON THE RWY. IF I HAD SLIPPED THE OTHER DIRECTION; R WING LOW; I WOULD HAVE SEEN THE PWR LINE POLE THAT WAS INSET FROM THE EDGE OF THE RWY WHICH WOULD HAVE LIKELY ALERTED ME TO THE PRESENCE OF THE PWR LINES. I DIDN'T SEE OR BECOME AWARE OF THE WIRES UNTIL I HIT THEM. ONE HIT THE TOP COWL AND WAS TOSSED OUT OF THE WAY ENOUGH THAT NEITHER THE CANOPY OR TAIL HIT THE WIRE. THE PROP HIT A LOWER WIRE; IT THEN DENTED THE OIL COOLER FAIRING BEFORE SEPARATING AND DENTING THE LEADING EDGE OF THE L WING. IT DIDN'T AFFECT THE FLYING CHARACTERISTICS OF THE PLANE AND IT WAS STILL PRODUCING PWR/THRUST SO I WENT AROUND. THERE WAS SLIGHTLY INCREASED VIBRATION WITH INCREASED ENG RPM. NO INJURIES OR ACFT SUBSTANTIAL DAMAGE OCCURRED. CORRECTIVE ACTIONS -- DON'T LAND AT AN ARPT YOU KNOW NOTHING ABOUT (OBSTACLES). GET THE WIRES BURIED WHEN THEY ARE IN SUCH CLOSE PROX TO A RWY; OR AT LEAST GET THEM MARKED. BETTER IDENT DISPLACED THRESHOLDS; THIS ONE HAD A SINGLE TIRE IN THE GRASS ON EACH SIDE OF THE RWY (IT WASN'T EVIDENT TO ME THAT THE FULL LENGTH WASN'T AVAILABLE). I SHOULD HAVE CIRCLED THE FIELD ONCE OR TWICE LOOKING FOR OBSTACLES OR JUST NOT LANDED THERE AT ALL.

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