BENTON CITY, WA, USA
N8228R
Beaver FERGUSON F-II
The pilot was approaching runway 01 at his strip from the southwest, with wind from the east-northeast at 10 to 15 knots. The pilot stated that on his approach to the runway, he had to cross over a north-south power line that was about 30 feet high. The pilot stated that just as the plane passed a row of 70-foot-high trees located to the right of the approach path, at an altitude of about 50 feet, he 'felt the plane stall.' The pilot stated he applied full throttle, but that the airplane 'did [not] respond quick enough to avoid the power line.' The pilot stated that the aircraft's left wheel caught and broke the power line, which 'threw the plane in a left downward [attitude with] the left wing hitting first then the nose.' The pilot reported: 'I had landed on this runway numerous times but never with this wind velocity or direction.' The pilot indicated that no mechanical malfunction or failure was involved in the accident, and that he felt the accident could have been prevented by 'faster [approach] speed [and] higher altitude.'
On July 21, 2000, approximately 1345 Pacific daylight time, a Beaver Ferguson F-II amateur-built airplane, N8228R, was substantially damaged when it struck power lines and crashed on approach to landing at a private airstrip owned by the pilot near Benton City, Washington. A power line which was downed by the collision also started a grass fire in the area. The unlicensed pilot was not injured in the accident. The pilot did not indicate the flight's origin point in his NTSB accident report. Visual meteorological conditions existed and (according to the FAA preliminary accident notification) a visual flight rules (VFR) flight plan had been filed for the 14 CFR 91 personal flight (the FAA did not furnish details of the reported flight plan.) The pilot reported that he was approaching runway 01 at his strip from the southwest, with wind from the east-northeast at 10 to 15 knots. The pilot stated that on his approach to the runway, he had to cross over a north-south power line that was about 30 feet high. The pilot stated that just as the plane passed a row of 70-foot-high poplar trees located to the right of the approach path, at an altitude of about 50 feet, he "felt the plane stall." The pilot stated he applied full throttle, but that the airplane "did [not] respond quick enough to avoid the power line." The pilot stated that the aircraft's left wheel caught and broke the power line, which "threw the plane in a left downward [attitude with] the left wing hitting first then the nose." The pilot reported: "I had landed on this runway numerous times but never with this wind velocity or direction." The pilot indicated that no mechanical malfunction or failure was involved in the accident, and that he felt the accident could have been prevented by "faster [approach] speed [and] higher altitude."
The pilot's failure to approach the strip with adequate airspeed for the conditions (resulting in a stall/mush situation), and his failure to maintain adequate altitude and/or clearance above a power line on the approach path. Factors included crosswind conditions, terrain-induced turbulence, and the power line.
Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database
Aviation Accidents App
In-Depth Access to Aviation Accident Reports
