# Accident 20171107018359A: Cessna 172S, Bonners Ferry, ID, November 7, 2017

- Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: November 7, 2017, 12:00 local time
- Place: Bonners Ferry, ID
- Airport: Boundary County
- Damage: Substantial damage
- Phase of flight: Other, Specify
- Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
- Location: 48.7022° N, 116.2433° W: From the FAA
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=48.7022&lon=-116.2433&mi=10
- Aircraft: N55234, registered now (https://openairdocs.org/aircraft/N55234) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry model: Cessna 172S (registry code 2072439, https://openairdocs.org/model/cessna-172s) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry engine: Lycoming IO-360-L2A (registry code 41597, https://openairdocs.org/engine/lycoming-io-360-l2a) (OpenAirDocs)
- Reported make and model: CESSNA 172S
- People aboard: 1
- Fatal injuries: 0
- Other injuries: 0
- Pilot certificates: Private pilot
- Pilot flight hours: 396 total, 329 in this make and model, 60 in the last 90 days
- NTSB investigation: [NTSB GAA18CA044](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/GAA18CA044) (OpenAirDocs)
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/20171107018359A

## Narrative

As the FAA filed it, in capitals; the FAA replaces private details with ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^.

PILOT DEPARTED BOUNDARY COUNTY AIRPORT AND MADE A CROSSWIND DEPARTURE TO THE SOUTHEAST. PILOT PERFORMED AN EASTERLY "HIGH RECON" OVER THE RIVER FOR APPROXIMATELY 4 MILES BEFORE DESCENDING BACK ONTO THE RIVER FOR A LOW LEVEL RECON OF A POTENTIAL SANDBAR LANDING SITE. THE PILOT STATED THAT HE HAD IDENTIFIED MARKED POWER LINES AT BOTH THE WEST AND EAST ENDS OF THE AREAS THAT HE SURVEYED AND BELIEVED THAT THE AREA OF THE SANDBAR WAS FREE OF OBSTRUCTIONS. AIRCRAFT HIT WIRES THAT WERE APPROXIMATELY 50 FEET ABOVE THE RIVER APPROXIMATELY 300YARDS BEYOND THE DEPARTURE END OF THE SANDBAR THAT WAS BEING EVALUATED. THE WIRES CROSS THE RIVER NORTH SOUTH AND THE RIVER IS FLOWING BASICALLY EAST TO WEST IN THAT AREA. THE PILOT SPOTTED THE WIRES AT A VERY SHORT DISTANCE AND PUSHED NOSE DOWN. THE TOP OF THE VERTICAL STABILIZER CONTACTED THE THIRD OF FOUR WIRES. A PIECE OF AIRCRAFT ALUMINUM WAS LATER IDENTIFIED ON THE POWER LINE. THE POWER LINE DID NOT APPEAR DAMAGED AND THE POWER COMPANY REPORTED THAT AFTER A BRIEF OUTAGE, THE POWER WAS RESTORED WITHOUT ANY REPAIRS.

## The NTSB's investigation of this event (1)

From the NTSB's public API. Aircraft are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported serial number, make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.

- [NTSB GAA18CA044](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/GAA18CA044), Nov 7, 2017: Cessna 172 (N55234), Bonners Ferry, ID, substantial damage. Probable cause: The pilot’s failure to see and avoid power lines while maneuvering at a low altitude.

From the FAA Accident/Incident Data System. Reports are matched to registry aircraft 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. For accidents, the NTSB's own investigation is the fuller record.

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