What happened
The FAA’s narrative, in sentence case. The FAA writes it in capitals and removes private details.
Aircraft was on a night cross country flight with a private pilot operating the aircraft.
The aircraft departed redmond or (rdm) at 1940 and was approaching The Dalles (dls) for a landing on runway 31. At approximately 2045 the aircraft was approaching from the south and struck a set of powerlines running east-west breaking a fiber optic cable (the fiber optic cable is above the 3 sets of high-tension cables and is above the center and north phases) and the north phase high-tension wire causing substantial damage to the aircraft and with the aircraft then impacting the ground. The aircraft after impacting the initial set of powerlines went under another set of powerlines to the north. A grass fire was started by the powerlines on contact with the ground. The pilot received minor injuries and was able to contact EMS. The aircraft was not damaged by the fire.
Inspectors privacy data omitted arrived at dls at around 1010 on 10/20/2023, met with the airport manager privacy data omitted who showed the scene of the accident approximately 3 miles south of the airport on a hilltop on the Oregon side of the columbia river arriving at 1045.
The aircraft was located near the top of the hill about 200 feet from the broken power line facing to the south-southeast. The left-hand wing tip was found under the powerline and had been burned. The right-hand wing leading edge was found about 30 feet to the south of the aircraft with the fiber optic cable partially wrapped around it and had also been in the grass fire and had soot on it. The propeller was about 20 feet to the south of the aircraft and showed impact damage on the leading and trailing edges but did not show signs of being under rotation when it impacted the ground. The propeller spinner was dented in multiple places. The propeller had been separated from the crankshaft flange of the engine and all six bolts were still in the propeller hub. The engine mounts were broken, and the nose of the aircraft showed damage of impacting the ground primarily on the right front corner. Both wings were damaged, the cockpit area was heavily damaged. The nose strut attachments were broken, and the engine fire wall was buckled. The RH elevator was bent up.
The aircraft flight and engine controls were checked for continuity with no issues noted except for carburetor heat control which was still connected but damaged from the impact. The fuel shut off lever was in open position. The throttle and mixture controls were full forward. The flaps were set and noted at 30 degrees.
The pilot stated that there were gusty winds as they approached the airport and had some control issues with the aircraft saying they felt “mushy” but had also stated that they were paying attention to the turn coordinator during the circling decent into dls. The pilot was not aware of the terrain or powerlines until the aircraft had struck them.
As the FAA filed it
AIRCRAFT WAS ON A NIGHT CROSS COUNTRY FLIGHT WITH A PRIVATE PILOT OPERATING THE AIRCRAFT.
THE AIRCRAFT DEPARTED REDMOND OR (RDM) AT 1940 AND WAS APPROACHING THE DALLES (DLS) FOR A LANDING ON RUNWAY 31. AT APPROXIMATELY 2045 THE AIRCRAFT WAS APPROACHING FROM THE SOUTH AND STRUCK A SET OF POWERLINES RUNNING EAST-WEST BREAKING A FIBER OPTIC CABLE (THE FIBER OPTIC CABLE IS ABOVE THE 3 SETS OF HIGH-TENSION CABLES AND IS ABOVE THE CENTER AND NORTH PHASES) AND THE NORTH PHASE HIGH-TENSION WIRE CAUSING SUBSTANTIAL DAMAGE TO THE AIRCRAFT AND WITH THE AIRCRAFT THEN IMPACTING THE GROUND. THE AIRCRAFT AFTER IMPACTING THE INITIAL SET OF POWERLINES WENT UNDER ANOTHER SET OF POWERLINES TO THE NORTH. A GRASS FIRE WAS STARTED BY THE POWERLINES ON CONTACT WITH THE GROUND. THE PILOT RECEIVED MINOR INJURIES AND WAS ABLE TO CONTACT EMS. THE AIRCRAFT WAS NOT DAMAGED BY THE FIRE.
INSPECTORS ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ ARRIVED AT DLS AT AROUND 1010 ON 10/20/2023, MET WITH THE AIRPORT MANAGER ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ WHO SHOWED THE SCENE OF THE ACCIDENT APPROXIMATELY 3 MILES SOUTH OF THE AIRPORT ON A HILLTOP ON THE OREGON SIDE OF THE COLUMBIA RIVER ARRIVING AT 1045.
THE AIRCRAFT WAS LOCATED NEAR THE TOP OF THE HILL ABOUT 200 FEET FROM THE BROKEN POWER LINE FACING TO THE SOUTH-SOUTHEAST. THE LEFT-HAND WING TIP WAS FOUND UNDER THE POWERLINE AND HAD BEEN BURNED. THE RIGHT-HAND WING LEADING EDGE WAS FOUND ABOUT 30 FEET TO THE SOUTH OF THE AIRCRAFT WITH THE FIBER OPTIC CABLE PARTIALLY WRAPPED AROUND IT AND HAD ALSO BEEN IN THE GRASS FIRE AND HAD SOOT ON IT. THE PROPELLER WAS ABOUT 20 FEET TO THE SOUTH OF THE AIRCRAFT AND SHOWED IMPACT DAMAGE ON THE LEADING AND TRAILING EDGES BUT DID NOT SHOW SIGNS OF BEING UNDER ROTATION WHEN IT IMPACTED THE GROUND. THE PROPELLER SPINNER WAS DENTED IN MULTIPLE PLACES. THE PROPELLER HAD BEEN SEPARATED FROM THE CRANKSHAFT FLANGE OF THE ENGINE AND ALL SIX BOLTS WERE STILL IN THE PROPELLER HUB. THE ENGINE MOUNTS WERE BROKEN, AND THE NOSE OF THE AIRCRAFT SHOWED DAMAGE OF IMPACTING THE GROUND PRIMARILY ON THE RIGHT FRONT CORNER. BOTH WINGS WERE DAMAGED, THE COCKPIT AREA WAS HEAVILY DAMAGED. THE NOSE STRUT ATTACHMENTS WERE BROKEN, AND THE ENGINE FIRE WALL WAS BUCKLED. THE RH ELEVATOR WAS BENT UP.
THE AIRCRAFT FLIGHT AND ENGINE CONTROLS WERE CHECKED FOR CONTINUITY WITH NO ISSUES NOTED EXCEPT FOR CARBURETOR HEAT CONTROL WHICH WAS STILL CONNECTED BUT DAMAGED FROM THE IMPACT. THE FUEL SHUT OFF LEVER WAS IN OPEN POSITION. THE THROTTLE AND MIXTURE CONTROLS WERE FULL FORWARD. THE FLAPS WERE SET AND NOTED AT 30 DEGREES.
THE PILOT STATED THAT THERE WERE GUSTY WINDS AS THEY APPROACHED THE AIRPORT AND HAD SOME CONTROL ISSUES WITH THE AIRCRAFT SAYING THEY FELT “MUSHY” BUT HAD ALSO STATED THAT THEY WERE PAYING ATTENTION TO THE TURN COORDINATOR DURING THE CIRCLING DECENT INTO DLS. THE PILOT WAS NOT AWARE OF THE TERRAIN OR POWERLINES UNTIL THE AIRCRAFT HAD STRUCK THEM.
NTSB investigation
The NTSB’s investigation of this event, with its probable cause and findings. Matched to this report by N-number and date.
Other reports on N6308Q · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.