- Date
- January 6, 1991, 10:30 local (18:30 UTC)
- Place
- Ukiah, CA
- Injuries
- 4 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N737FJCessna 172N
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report December 4, 1992
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19910106000239A
- Case key
- 27088
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 failure of the pilot to maintain an adequate clearance from ground obstructions. A factor in the accident was: failure of the pilot to maintain an altitude sufficient to clear all obstructions along his route of flight.
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.
Analysis
The pilot said he was flying down a river valley at about 800 ft AGL as he and his passengers were looking over potential timber cutting areas. The flight crossed a saddle in the mountains which reduced the ground clearance to about 300 ft. suddenly, he saw an unmarked high tension power line directly ahead. He initiated a diving left turn in an attempt to avoid the wire; however, the outboard right wing struck the wire. The pilot said the outboard right wing sustained a significant amount of damage and control of the aircraft was difficult in the roll axis. The pilot flew the aircraft to ukaih, where a successful landing was made. According to the pilot, the power line crossed perpendicular to the valley with the line suspended from towers on top of ridges on opposite sides of the valley.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N737FJ
- Reported as
- Cessna 172N
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 17269382
- Engine
- Lycoming O-320-HZAD, 150 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Arthur C. Hunter
- Departed
- 028 · Willits, CA
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
- 44
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Flight hours
- 863 total · 808 in this make and model · 817 as pilot in command · 29 in the last 90 days · 2 in the last 30 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- Calm
- Visibility
- 30 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- -0 °F, dew point -0 °F
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.