20200405000889A

Accident · Substantial damage

FAA accident report · Schlitter Randy Rans S-12 Airaile · Hillrose, CO · April 5, 2020

FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal NTSB investigation search

Date: April 5, 2020 · 10:40 local
Place: Hillrose, CO
Phase of flight: Cruise/Level Flight
Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
Damage: Substantial damage
Aircraft: N4114G
Reported as: Schlitter Randy Rans S-12 Airaile
Reported engine: Bombardier ROTAX (ALL)
People aboard: 2
Fatal injuries: 0
Other injuries: 2
Pilot’s certificate: Student
Pilot’s flight hours: 680 total135 in this make and model12 in the last 90 days

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.

According to a witness who was directly under a series of powerlines, N4114G was observed ?dropping down? Over two large trees, and flying east-to-west in level-flight attitude toward him at about 30-35 feet AGL. This defined a very low, straight run of at least 2000? From the trees across a flat, plowed field to the only obstruction, the power line. The engine was running normally prior to the wire strike. The plane looked ?too low? To be able to climb over the power lines. As the aircraft approached him, the witness started pointing up to the lines over his head, using large gestures that may have been misinterpreted as waving. He expressed concern that this, plus the burning patch of weeds he was tending, were enough of a distraction that the person flying became fixated on him, lost situational awareness of the wires, and struck them, resulting in the non-fatal impact with the ground and the injuries to the person flying and to the single passenger.

As the FAA filed it

ACCORDING TO A WITNESS WHO WAS DIRECTLY UNDER A SERIES OF POWERLINES, N4114G WAS OBSERVED ?DROPPING DOWN? OVER TWO LARGE TREES, AND FLYING EAST-TO-WEST IN LEVEL-FLIGHT ATTITUDE TOWARD HIM AT ABOUT 30-35 FEET AGL. THIS DEFINED A VERY LOW, STRAIGHT RUN OF AT LEAST 2000? FROM THE TREES ACROSS A FLAT, PLOWED FIELD TO THE ONLY OBSTRUCTION, THE POWER LINE. THE ENGINE WAS RUNNING NORMALLY PRIOR TO THE WIRE STRIKE. THE PLANE LOOKED ?TOO LOW? TO BE ABLE TO CLIMB OVER THE POWER LINES. AS THE AIRCRAFT APPROACHED HIM, THE WITNESS STARTED POINTING UP TO THE LINES OVER HIS HEAD, USING LARGE GESTURES THAT MAY HAVE BEEN MISINTERPRETED AS WAVING. HE EXPRESSED CONCERN THAT THIS, PLUS THE BURNING PATCH OF WEEDS HE WAS TENDING, WERE ENOUGH OF A DISTRACTION THAT THE PERSON FLYING BECAME FIXATED ON HIM, LOST SITUATIONAL AWARENESS OF THE WIRES, AND STRUCK THEM, RESULTING IN THE NON-FATAL IMPACT WITH THE GROUND AND THE INJURIES TO THE PERSON FLYING AND TO THE SINGLE PASSENGER.