Low-Altitude Maneuvering · NTSB WPR15FA161
BELLANCA 7GCBC — Juntura, OR
| Date | May 14, 2015 |
| Location | Juntura, OR |
| Aircraft | BELLANCA 7GCBC |
| Purpose of flight | Business |
| Conditions | Day · Visual Meteorological Cond |
| Phase / occurrence | Maneuvering Collision with terr/obj (non-CFIT) |
| Pilot age | 51 |
| Pilot total time | 120 hrs · Low time |
| Time in type | 30 hrs |
| Fatalities | 1 |
Probable cause
The pilot's failure to see and avoid power lines while intentionally maneuvering at low altitude for the aerial observation flight.
NTSB findings
- Aircraft-Aircraft oper/perf/capability-Performance/control parameters-Altitude-Not attained/maintained - C
- Personnel issues-Psychological-Attention/monitoring-Monitoring environment-Pilot - C
- Environmental issues-Physical environment-Object/animal/substance-Wire-Contributed to outcome
What happened
The private pilot was flying his airplane in visual meteorological conditions in support of a cattle drive. A witness observed the airplane complete three to four passes before impacting power lines at an altitude about 100 ft above ground level. The witness reported that the engine sounded normal leading up to the impact, and a postaccident examination of the airframe and engine revealed no anomalies that would have precluded normal operation.