A witness fishing on the Black Warrior River near Brookwood, Alabama, reported observing the Cessna 172M flying low up the river. The airplane collided with a set of powerlines, then hit the water and sank. The witness told investigators that by the time he reached the airplane with his boat, it was already submerged.
The pilot died in the crash.
Another witness reported the airplane was flying “level” and low over the river with its engine operating at a “high rpm.” He said that as he attempted to take a picture of the airplane, it collided with the powerlines. He then saw the airplane veer left and descend into the river.
The airplane collided with a set of 1-inch diameter powerline cables (one neutral, one energized) that spanned the river and were about 60 to 80 feet above the water. The airplane severed the neutral cable. The energized cable was not severed but, according to a witness, the power in her camper at an adjacent campground flickered momentarily when the airplane collided with the powerlines.
When the airplane was examined after being recovered from the river, there was substantial damage to the fuselage, both wings, and the empennage. The left wing remained attached to the fuselage and the right wing was separated. The empennage was separated just aft of the fuselage in one section, and the horizontal stabilizer, vertical stabilizer, and rudder were minimally damaged. Impact marks consistent with a wire strike were observed on the lower left area of the empennage. Flight control continuity was established for all major flight controls to the cockpit.
The engine separated from the airframe and visual inspection revealed no obvious mechanical issues. Both of the propeller blades remained attached to the engine. Each blade exhibited little to no chordwise scoring, with one of the blades having an aft bend of about 30° and a slight twist mid-span. One of the blades had deep sequential gouges on the leading edge that exhibited features consistent with a cable strike.
Probable Cause: The pilot’s failure to see and avoid powerlines while maneuvering at low altitude.
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This February 2024 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.
Stupid. Should have known not to fly so low. I fly low over water ONLY.
These power lines should have been clearly marked with ‘red-ball’ warning markers. SAR helos were operating over this river… unmarked power lines like these are aircrew death sentences…. terrible accident waiting in-stealth to happen to the unsuspecting.
Sorry to see. But, fly below 500 ft agl at your own risk. Besides power lines, high voltage transmission lines are hard to see as well as the towers.
We have TV towers in Northern California that are over 2,000 agl, with support wires angling out a considerable distance from the towers. !!
Guy-wire supported TV/Comm towers are clearly marked on aviation charts… and MUST have 24-hr operating/bright warning lighting… white strobes [day] and red strobes [night]…
AC70/7460-1 – Obstruction Marking and Lighting
Where I fly you can’t get a briefing for a 100 mile flight without seeing a half-dozen notams for unlit towers
Towers have automatic reporting (NOTAM) of obstruction light outages. Tower owner is supposed to repair within a certain time frame.