Low-Altitude Maneuvering · NTSB WPR23LA001
SCODA AERONAUTICA LTDA SUPER PETREL LS — Perma, MT
| Date | October 2, 2022 |
| Location | Perma, MT |
| Aircraft | SCODA AERONAUTICA LTDA SUPER PETREL LS |
| Purpose of flight | Personal |
| Conditions | Day · Visual Meteorological Cond |
| Phase / occurrence | Maneuvering-low-alt flying Low altitude operation/event |
| Pilot age | 68 |
| Pilot total time | Unknown |
| Time in type | Unknown |
| Fatalities | 1 |
Probable cause
NTSB findings
- Personnel issues-Action/decision-Info processing/decision-Identification/recognition-Pilot
- Environmental issues-Physical environment-Object/animal/substance-Wire-Effect on equipment
What happened
The accident airplane was the lead airplane in a flight of two and while flying about 50 ft over a river, the airplane struck a power line. The airplane abruptly pitched up, descended to the right, and impacted the water, which resulted in substantial damage to the fuselage and wings.
According to a witness, the pilot had prior experience flying at low level over the river close to the accident site. The trailing pilot reported that the accident pilot did not report any mechanical failures or anomalies before the impact with a powerline. The trailing pilot was not aware of the powerline placement, and it is likely that the pilot also did not see the powerline’s placement across the river as it was unmarked.