WHEN EN ROUTE, THE ACFT COLLIDED WITH POWER LINES WHERE THEY CROSSED OVER A HIGHWAY ABOUT 39 FT AGL. TWO WITNESSES NEAR THIS LOCATION REPORTED THAT THE ACFT WAS FLYING LOW & WAS FOLLOWING THE HIGHWAY ON A WESTERLY HEADING WHEN THE ACFT STRUCK THE WIRES. THE WIRE STRIKE OCCURRED AS THE ACFT WAS STARTING TO CROSS A VALLEY ABOUT 8 MI WIDE. SUBSEQUENTLY, THE ACFT CRASHED INTO RISING TERRAIN ON THE OPPOSITE SIDE OF THE VALLEY. WITNESSES IN CARS NEAR THAT AREA STATED THAT THE ACFT WAS FLYING LOW OVER THE HIGHWAY & WAS ZIG-ZAGGING BACK & FORTH. JUST PRIOR TO CRASHING, THEY SAW THE ACFT GO INTO A STEEP BANK, THEN IT DISAPPEARED FROM THEIR VIEW AS IT WENT BEHIND A HILL. AN EXAM OF THE CRASH SITE REVEALED THAT THE ACFT WAS IN NEAR LEVEL FLT WHEN IT HIT TREES ON THE SIDE OF A HILL, THEN IT CRASHED INTO A 9 DEG RISING SLOPE. THE PLT WAS SERIOUSLY INJURED & COULD NOT RECALL THE FLT OR THE ACCIDENT. WITNESSES STATED THAT THE ACCIDENT OCCURRED ON A DARK NIGHT WITH LOW CEILINGS & WITH LIGHT SNOW FALLING.

The National Transportation Safety Board determines the probable cause(s) of this accident to be:

The National Transportation Safety Board determines the probable cause(s) of this accident to be:

Contributing Factors

PLANNING/DECISION..IMPROPER..PILOT IN COMMAND

Contributing Factors

OBJECT..WIRE,TRANSMISSION

Contributing Factors

LIGHT CONDITION..DARK NIGHT

Contributing Factors

TERRAIN CONDITION..MOUNTAINOUS/HILLY

Contributing Factors

WEATHER CONDITION..LOW CEILING

Contributing Factors

WEATHER CONDITION..SNOW

Contributing Factors

TERRAIN CONDITION..RISING

Contributing Factors

FLIGHT INTO KNOWN ADVERSE WEATHER..CONTINUED..PILOT IN COMMAND

Index for Mar1983 | Index of months