POSSIBLE INFLT ENCOUNTER WITH WIRE BY GA SMA DURING IFR APCH TO CCR.

Narrative

WHILE ON A (STUDENT) FILED IFR TWR ENRTE FLT FROM RHV TO CCR; STRUCK SOMETHING. AT THE TIME OF THE STRIKE; WE WERE INBND FROM THE CCR VOR. WHEN WE INITIALLY ARRIVED OVER THE CCR VOR; TRAVIS APCH CTLR GAVE US A VECTOR OF 060 DEGS. WE WERE THEN INSTRUCTED TO HOLD AT THE CCR VOR AT 4000' AND; SUBSEQUENTLY; TO CLB TO 5000'. OUR ALTIMETER WAS SET TO THE CCR ATIS SETTING. WE WERE THEN INSTRUCTED TO DES TO 3000' AND WERE CLRD FOR THE VOR APCH ON A VECTOR FO 220 DEGS. WE INTERCEPTED THE 011 DEG R INBND AND DESCENDED TO 1040'. AT THE VOR; THE OBS WAS CHANGED TO 171 DEGS (FROM); AND WE TURNED TO AN INTERCEPT HDG TO BEGIN A DES TO THE CCR VOR MDA. AT THIS TIME WE WERE IFR. THE VOR NEEDLE INDICATED 1/2 SCALE DEFLECTION TO THE RIGHT; AND THE AIRPLANE WAS IN A RIGHT BANK TO INTERCEPT THE 171 DEG R. AT 1.5 DME INBND; THE ALTIMETER INDICATED 800'; AND THE STRIKE OCCURRED IN A MATTER OF SECONDS AFTER THIS OBSERVATION. THE ACFT DID NOT APPEAR TO FALTER IN ANY WAY OR CHANGE DIR FOLLOWING THE STRIKE. AFTER THE STRIKE THE INSTR TOOK CTL OF THE ACFT. WE CLBED AND INITIATED A MISSED APCH. THE PLT WAS INSTRUCTED TO SAY; 'MAYDAY; MAYDAY;' AND INFORM THE TWR AS TO WHAT WE WERE DOING; WHICH HE DID. AT 2000' WE SAW THAT CCR ARPT WAS IN THE CLEAR AND WERE GIVEN A CLRNC FOR A RIGHT BASE ENTRY TO RWY 32. THE ACFT WAS LANDED SAFELY AND THERE WERE NO INJURIES. WE TAXIED TO THE BASE OF CCR TWR; WHERE WE WERE MET BY AN ARPT OPS SPECIALIST. HE INSPECTED THE ACFT; TOOK SEVERAL PHOTOS AND COMPLETED A RPT. THE FAA FSDO REP ARRIVED AT THE ARPT; INSPECTED THE PAPERS OF THE PLT; INSTR AND AIRPLANE. HE ALSO INSPECTED THE ACFT AND MADE A PRELIMINARY RPT. FSDO REP STATED THAT THE STRIKE WOULD PROBABLY BE CLASSED AS AN INCIDENT AS LONG AS THERE IS NO STRUCTURAL DAMAGE. WE WERE INFORMED THAT THE NTSB PEOPLE WOULD INSPECT THE ACFT. ARPT OPS SPECIALIST REQUESTED THAT THE ACFT REMAIN AT CCR UNTIL THE INSPECTION MAY BE COMPLETED. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING: THE RPTR WAS VERY VAGUE WHEN QUESTIONED ABOUT ACFT LOCATION AND WOULD ONLY SAY THAT THE ACFT INSTRUMENTS INDICATED THEY WERE AT 800'; BUT WOULD NOT COMMENT ON WHAT THE ACTUAL ALT WAS AT THE TIME. ANALYST FINDS IT INCONCEIVABLE THAT THE RPTR WOULD NOT BE MORE CURIOUS ABOUT WHAT THEY HAD HIT; ESPECIALLY IF THEY WERE CONVINCED THE ALT WAS ACTUALLY 800'. RPTR DID MENTION PWR LINES GOING TO A REFINERY; BUT THEY ARE WELL BELOW 800'.