- Date
- December 8, 1990, 16:00 local (21:00 UTC)
- Place
- Hickory, NC
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N9685JPiper PA-28-180
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report October 2, 1992
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19901208064629A
- Case key
- 8366
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
Probable cause
The NTSB’s determination of the probable cause, and any contributing factors.
The pilots's inadequate visual lookout during flight. A factor in the accident was the pilot's failure to maintain a safe altitude.
Analysis
While on a local sightseeing flight, the pilot heard a loud 'pow' and realized that the airplane had collided with a power line that was strung across a river. He stated that the airplane 'pulled to the right' after the collision, however he was able to maintain control. He returned to the airport and landed the airplane after two attempts. An inspection of the airplane revealed that the top third of the vertical stabilizer and the rudder had separated from the airplane. The power line which was struck was reported to be about 40 feet above the surface of the water. The pilot reported that he did not realize that he was flying so low to the water. The accident was reported to the FAA by anonymous sources; the pilot had made no attempt to report the accident.
Sequence of events
NTSB’s coding before 2008: each occurrence and phase of flight, and the causes and factors under it. The codes are defined in NTSB’s coding manual.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N9685J
- Reported as
- Piper PA-28-180
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 28-3858
- Engine
- Lycoming O-360-A4A, 180 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Frankey D. Daniels
- Departed
- NC58 · Taylorsville, NC
Matched to the registry by N-number and the event date; the registry’s history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 53
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Flight hours
- 233 total · 180 in this make and model · 13 in the last 90 days · 4 in the last 30 days · 2 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 300° at 10 knots
- Visibility
- 25 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- -0 °F, dew point -0 °F
- Observed at
- HKY, 6 nm away
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.
Other investigations on N9685J · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.