20110214002319A

The aircraft departed afton, WY airport at approximately 09:30 for a local flight. The owner of the aircraft was seated in the aft seat and is a properly rated and endorsed tail wheel pilot. The pilot was a properly rated and endorsed tail wheel pilot, but had o hours in the aircraft make/model. After performiing some maneuvers to allow the pilot to become familiar with the aircraft, they continued their flight to the northwest towards the mountains. The flight eventually proceeded into an open valley and took a southerly heading. The owner stated that at one point he asked the pilot to carry some additional altitude for his comfort level, and the pilot complied. About 25 minutes into the flight, the owner notified the pilot of the power lines ahead and requested that they head back to the east towards afton. The owner stated that the pilot mentioned he was "thinking about going under the lines" and the owner verbally disagreed with the intended action. The pilot began what he described as a "lazy climb" believing he was well clear of the lines. The aircraft struck the high tension power lines and impacted a snow covered hillside 200-300 yards beyond the lines, approximately .6 miles inside the Idaho border. It came to rest in an inverted position with both wings located on the the left wing leading edge was located directly under the approximately 75 foot tall power lines.