Stephen, MN, USA
N67ND
American Champion (ACAC) 8KCAB
The airplane sustained substantial damage when it struck power lines while maneuvering at low altitude. The pilot-rated passenger reported that the pilot was performing low altitude maneuvers over a river when it struck power lines. The passenger stated that the pilot didn't feel that they had struck the line until she pointed it out to the pilot. They continued the flight and attempted to enter the pattern at two other airports but, because of air traffic in the area, they continued the flight to a third airport. Upon landing the passenger and pilot removed the wire from the airplane and inspected a hole in the aircraft wing. The pilot felt the airplane was still airworthy and decided to fly it back to the departure airport. The pilot and passenger returned to the departure airport without incident.
On July 28, 2003, about 1430 central daylight time, an American Champion 8KCAB, N67ND, piloted by a commercial pilot, sustained substantial damage when the airplane impacted two power lines that cross the Red River near Stephen, Minnesota. The personal flight was operating under 14 CFR Part 91. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed during the flight. No flight plan was on file. The pilot and pilot rated passenger were uninjured. The local flight departed from Grand Forks International Airport (GFK), near Grand Forks, North Dakota, about 1404 and returned to GFK at 1513. A loss of electrical power to a farm was reported to a power company in Warren, Minnesota. Two power lines that cross the Red River south of the Minnesota Highway 317 - North Dakota Highway 17 bridge were found broken. The power company replaced one 6A wire and one 8A wire. A power company representative estimated the height of the 6A wire to be about 60 feet above the water and the 8A wire to be about 56 feet above the water. The pilot's written statement said: While flying over the Red River, the aircraft struck a wire. The aircraft had departed GFK at approximately 2:00 pm for a local flight. No injuries occurred and the aircraft eventually landed at GFK." The pilot rated passenger's written statement said: He started talking about flying low over the river. This is when I asked multiple times if it was safe and if he could get in trouble, to which he replied that neither would be a problem. He said he wasn't worried about it. He then told me not to worry about this and that I would be okay, so I trusted him [and] went along with it. [The pilot] started winding [with] the river, where he proceeded to have me take control [and] try. I tried, didn't feel comfortable, and told him to take control. He took control, and while he was maneuvering the airplane, we hit the power lines. [The pilot] was sitting in back, and thought we hit a bird. I was in front, and right when we hit the power lines, and I think I saw three wires. I felt a jolt, but we continued flying with no problems. At this point [the pilot] wasn't convinced we hit lines until I looked out my left window and saw pieces of wire wrapping around the wing support bar, saw the ripped hole in the wing connected to a long trailing piece. He climbed out and started heading towards Minto, where we would land, check damage, and call UND. As we approached Minto, [the pilot] saw people in the pattern, and decided to try Grafton, where there were also people in the pattern. At this point we headed towards Stephens and landed on runway 17 and taxied off to the right, where we shut down and got out. [The pilot and] I got out to look at the damage, [the pilot] started to unwind the wires from the wing while I helped pull the long wire off the taxiway. I asked [the pilot] about the hole in the wing, I asked if the fuel tank could've been affected, and proceeded to ask about the scratches in the prop. I felt it was unsafe to fix and asked if UND should be called to come pick us up. He felt that we had already flown as far as we had, and that we could make it back safely. We took off [and] started heading [southwest] towards Minto again, [the pilot] thinking we could call for a ride there. I went along with it just wanting to land. In mid-flight he decided to go back to Grand Forks. We got ATIS, called approach inbound [with] India, and landed [and] parked. A witness stated: On July 28, [2003] at about 2:30 p.m. a green over white single engine plane, top wing, was flying at or below tree top level following the course of the river. As I was about to enter the house from the south side (entry) I heard a low flying plane. Shortly I heard a sharp snap, I then was sure they had hit a power line spanning the river. It was flying from a southerly to northerly direction. After the snap I saw the plane fly upward and make a left turn to the west. I watched it until it disappeared behind the trees. The pilot reported no mechanical malfunctions or failures. The airplane manufacturer stated that the airplane was produced with a Sacremento green, Juneau white burst, and black trim color scheme. At 1437, the weather at Hallock Municipal Airport, near Hallock, Minnesota, located approximately 23 nautical miles north of the power lines was: Wind 230 degrees at 7 knots, gusts to 14 knots; visibility 10 statute miles; sky conditions scattered 5,500 feet.
The pilot's failure to maintain clearance from the transmission line and the pilot's continued operation with known deficiencies in equipment. Factors to the accident were the power lines and the low altitude the pilot was flying at.
Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database
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