CESSNA 182 — St. Louis, MI

What happened

The pilot was conducting a low-altitude pipeline patrol flight in day visual meteorological conditions when the airplane collided with a radio tower guy wire. According to radar data, during the final 4.5 minutes of the flight, the airplane’s altitude was between 475 and 800 ft above ground level (agl). The airplane’s ground track was offset to the right of the pipeline until about the final minute of the flight, at which point the airplane crossed over the pipeline and continued about 1,000 to 1,250 ft to the left of the pipeline. The operator reported that the airplane should be flown to the right of the pipeline to ensure that the pilot, who is seated in the left cockpit seat, can maintain an unobstructed view of the pipeline during the patrol flight.

The airplane continued northwest toward the radio tower. About 15 seconds before the accident, the airplane was about 0.65 miles southeast of the tower in a shallow right turn when it entered a climb from 475 ft agl. At the final radar return, about 600 ft east-southeast of the tower, the airplane’s altitude, calibrated airspeed, and climb rate were about 1,370 ft msl, 104 knots, and 1,575 ft per minute, respectively. The airplane’s final altitude was 370 ft below the top of the radio tower and its ground track was toward the guy wires located on the northeast side of the radio tower. Based on the airplane’s ground track and rapidly increasing climb rate, the pilot was likely trying to avoid the tower guy wires during the final moments of the flight.

The airplane’s left wing separated from the fuselage at the wing root when it collided with a support guy wire attached to the northeast side of the radio tower. The airplane then impacted a dirt field about 0.3 mile northwest of the radio tower where a postimpact fire destroyed most of the airplane. Postaccident examination of the airplane wreckage did not reveal any evidence of a mechanical malfunction or failure that would have prevented normal operation of the airplane before it collided with the tower guy wire.

Two individuals reported that the pilot posted a Snapchat video shortly before the accident. The Snapchat video reportedly depicted the terrain ahead of the airplane while it was 5 to 10 miles southeast of the accident site. Although the video was automatically deleted from the Snapchat platform 24 hours after the accident, it reportedly did not include the final moments of the flight. One of the individuals provided a screenshot of the Snapchat application’s map that showed the approximate location of where the pilot posted the video. When compared to the airplane’s recorded radar ground track, the location of the pilot’s Snapchat post was about 1.5 miles southeast of the radio tower, and likely was posted about 35 seconds before the accident. The airplane’s ground track was already left of the pipeline when the pilot posted the Snapchat video. Based on the known information, it is likely the pilot was distracted while he used his mobile device in the minutes before the accident and did not maintain an adequate visual lookout to ensure a safe flight path to avoid the radio tower and its guy wires.

An editorial "what led to it / how to avoid it" analysis for this accident is generated separately and will appear here.