The pilot reported that, while flying west to check some fields near Cut Bank, Montana, and circle a friend’s house, he began a right, descending turn about 200 feet above ground level.
He added that he was aware of power wires in the area, but the sun was in his eyes, and the Taylorcraft BC12 was lower than he thought.
The airplane hit power wires and then hit terrain.
The airplane sustained substantial damage to both wings and the fuselage.
The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.
Probable cause: The pilot’s failure to see and avoid power wires while maneuvering at low altitude. Contributing to the accident was the pilot’s inability to determine the airplane’s altitude due to sun glare.
NTSB Identification: GAA18CA533
This September 2018 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.
Sun can effect IMC. I have had to report such conditions many times to ATC at altitude while on an IFR plan when being told about traffic.
Haze and sun in your face and you may not be able to see in front of you, more than 5 feet beyond the prop arc.
So, this guy was actually flying with vis less than 1 mile — and probably didn’t realize that this is effectively IMC and only in that general direction.
Where does it say he was in IMC, and where does it indicate that visibility was less than 1-mile?
What constitutes IMC? Can IMC be caused by smoke? How about rain?
Basically, any condition than can cause your vis to drop into IMC. If you can’t see what is in front of you because of the sun, and therefore can’t effectively see and avoid, that is IMC.
Now, using his own words: “He added that he was aware of power wires in the area, but the sun was in his eyes.”
Since the sun was in his eyes, could he see more than 1 mile? Since he did not see power lines that he knew were in the area, and ran into them, I’d say his vis was less than 1 mile when looking straight ahead.