Low-Altitude Maneuvering · NTSB WPR09LA269
STORCH AVIATION AUSTRALIA PTY SS-MK4 — Boulder, UT
| Date | May 29, 2009 |
| Location | Boulder, UT |
| Aircraft | STORCH AVIATION AUSTRALIA PTY SS-MK4 |
| Purpose of flight | Personal |
| Conditions | Day · Visual Meteorological Cond |
| Phase / occurrence | Maneuvering-low-alt flying Collision with terr/obj (non-CFIT) |
| Pilot age | 64 |
| Pilot total time | 7,000 hrs · High time |
| Time in type | Unknown |
| Fatalities | 2 |
Probable cause
NTSB findings
- Environmental issues-Physical environment-Object/animal/substance-Wire-Contributed to outcome
- Aircraft-Aircraft oper/perf/capability-Performance/control parameters-Altitude-Not attained/maintained - C
- Personnel issues-Psychological-Attention/monitoring-Monitoring environment-Pilot - C
What happened
On the morning of the accident flight, the pilot flew with a passenger in the airplane on a sightseeing trip. The flight included low altitude maneuvers, to include low altitude flights into canyons. Photographs provided by the passenger revealed that the airplane was flown at low altitude through the canyons, and very close to the canyon walls. The pilot then landed and disembarked the passenger. Shortly thereafter, the pilot departed with another passenger onboard in the direction of the accident site. Witnesses observed the airplane flying low within a canyon shortly before a power failure occurred in the local town. Damage to the airplane revealed that the left wing struck the power transmission lines. The witness statements, damage sustained by the wing, and the position of the airplane after the accident, indicated that the pilot most likely turned left into an adjacent canyon from the one he was in and immediately into the path of the power lines.