20080515838239I

Incident · Minor damage

FAA incident report · Piper PA-25-235 · Hollister, CA · May 15, 2008

Date: May 15, 2008 · 12:30 local
Place: Hollister, CA
Airport: Hollister Municipal
Phase of flight: Normal Cruise
Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
Damage: Minor damage
Aircraft: N7092Z
Reported as: Piper PA25235
Reported engine: Lycoming O540B2B5
People aboard: 1
Fatal injuries: 0
Pilot’s flight hours: 6,000 total500 in this make and model10 in the last 90 days

N7092ZRegistered now · Piper PA-25-235S/N 25-2879 · Built 1964 Airframe modelPiper PA-25-235 Engine modelLycoming 0-540 seriesReciprocating

From the FAA’s Accident/Incident Data System (AIDS), through its Aviation Safety Information Portal, as reported. The NTSB investigates accidents separately, and its record of an accident is the fuller one. The aircraft is matched to the registry by N-number and event date, checked against the reported make and model; the registry’s history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.

What happened

The FAA’s narrative, in sentence case. The FAA writes it in capitals and removes private details.

(-23) The pilot departed kcvh (Hollister airport) in a Piper pawnee PA-25-235, N7092Z, towing a glider to 6000 feet 15 miles to the south east of the airport. After releasing the glider the pilot was flying a direct path back to the airport over the hills to the south east of the airport. The pilot stated that he could see the power lines where they crossed over the top of the hills and was able to maintain 500' from the towers. The electrical wires at this point were hanging down in the valley below his flight path. The pilot did not see the small static wires that run along the tops of the towers. These wires were unmarked and extremely difficult to see and do not hang low like the larger electrical wires he was watching. The aircraft struck the smaller static wires cutting through them with the propeller and damaging the cowling, returned to the Hollister airport and landed safely without further incident.

As the FAA filed it

(-23) THE PILOT DEPARTED KCVH (HOLLISTER AIRPORT) IN A PIPER PAWNEE PA-25-235, N7092Z, TOWING A GLIDER TO 6000 FEET 15 MILES TO THE SOUTH EAST OF THE AIRPORT. AFTER RELEASING THE GLIDER THE PILOT WAS FLYING A DIRECT PATH BACK TO THE AIRPORT OVER THE HILLS TO THE SOUTH EAST OF THE AIRPORT. THE PILOT STATED THAT HE COULD SEE THE POWER LINES WHERE THEY CROSSED OVER THE TOP OF THE HILLS AND WAS ABLE TO MAINTAIN 500' FROM THE TOWERS. THE ELECTRICAL WIRES AT THIS POINT WERE HANGING DOWN IN THE VALLEY BELOW HIS FLIGHT PATH. THE PILOT DID NOT SEE THE SMALL STATIC WIRES THAT RUN ALONG THE TOPS OF THE TOWERS. THESE WIRES WERE UNMARKED AND EXTREMELY DIFFICULT TO SEE AND DO NOT HANG LOW LIKE THE LARGER ELECTRICAL WIRES HE WAS WATCHING. THE AIRCRAFT STRUCK THE SMALLER STATIC WIRES CUTTING THROUGH THEM WITH THE PROPELLER AND DAMAGING THE COWLING, RETURNED TO THE HOLLISTER AIRPORT AND LANDED SAFELY WITHOUT FURTHER INCIDENT.