The pilot was flying the Cessna 172 near Thief River Falls, Minn., when he noted that the air was getting a little choppy and that he had to increase the wind correction angle in order to fly the appropriate heading.
He flew a normal downwind approach to the north-south airstrip, but the wind correction angle was very large, and he aborted the landing.
He climbed back to altitude, then decided to land on the east-west blacktop road right in front of the farm rather than the airstrip, which ran north-south. He circled due to traffic on the road, and was concentrating on possible traffic as he approached to land.
During the approach he saw wires directly ahead, but before he could react, he heard the airplane hit a wire. He applied full power for another go-around, but the airplane crashed in a ditch on the side of the road.
The pilot was not hurt, but the airplane sustained substantial wing damage during the nose over.
The NTSB determined the probable cause as the pilot’s failure to maintain clearance from the power line while on approach to landing.
NTSB Identification: CEN13CA272
This May 2013 accident report is provided by the National Transportation Safety Board. Published as an educational tool, it is intended to help pilots learn from the misfortunes of others.
