The pilot reported that, while maneuvering through a canyon near Grand Junction, Colorado, at low altitude, the CubCrafters Carbon Cub EX’s left wing hit a power line that he did not see.
The airplane subsequently collided with terrain, sustaining substantial damage to the left wing.
The pilot reported that there were no preimpact mechanical failures or malfunctions that would have precluded normal operation.
The pilot did not submit the National Transportation Safety Board Pilot/Operator Aircraft Accident/Incident Report Form 6120.1.
Probable Cause: The pilot’s failure to maintain clearance from power lines during low-level maneuvering through a canyon.
This highlights one risk of low, backcountry, flying and also the frequent lack of NTSB reporting! A standard safety procedure is to survey a route from above first.
This May 2019 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.
But then the Wright Bros. didn’t stay with bikes because they were safer. Civilization as a whole was born of risk, although some of being pretty stupid…lol
Oh no. The alluring low-and-slow taken too far?
Being prone to mechanical failure and unpredicted bad weather, flying is inherently dangerous enough so I cannot understand why pilots deliberately add to the risk of bodily injury or death by taking unnecessary risks such as flying below safe minimums.
I did a lot of flying in Washington state in a single engine aircraft and realized each time I took off it might be my last time because there are so few places to make an emergency landing and walk away from it there. It was even worse flying over mountainous terrain. My engine would go on auto-rough as I scanned the ground for suitable places to set it down but rarely found any.
The FAA does a great job or preaching SAFETY FIRST but all too many pilots fail to grasp the importance of that advice to their continued existence. .
At the end of the day, if each of us was totally risk averse we wouldn’t mess around in single engine airplanes at all. As long as the pilot wasn’t endangering people on the ground or a passenger that he was carrying, the issue of his risk taking is entirely up to him.
Google Earth or other photos can show o obstacles that aren’t on a chest.
Wires near an airport probably are marked mothballs. But in a canyon or remote area wires are PR I baby not marked.
After completing an APU installation on a Cessna 650 in Manchester, NH, three of us were flying back to BWI late at night in a Cessna 210. The pilot decided to fly down the Hudson River in New York City. I recall being able to look UP at the lights in adjacent buildings! My butt was biting the seat fabric as all I could think of was WIRES!
Yep, something you never want to hear the approach controller say is “radar contact lost, you’re below my coverage, caution tall buildings all quadrants”. 1976, last time I ever rode in the back seat of anyone’s bird.
That is an exciting flight…for the younger and less risk averse! I now fly this in the Bravo Airspace as the “Skyline Tour” which is out of the other (non-controlled) traffic and give a bit more margin of safety!
No worries, there are no wires across the Hudson River corridor between Manhattan and New Jersey. There are, however, a couple of large bridges that you need to look out for!