LAX95LA135

During the flight, a passenger in the pilot's airplane used a cellular telephone to call an acquaintance located at a curio shop adjacent to an interstate highway. The passenger informed the acquaintance that he would fly over the acquaintance's location. The airplane arrived over the location and proceeded flying at a low altitude in an easterly direction past the curio shop. Seconds after the occupants in the airplane waved at the acquaintance, and the acquaintance waved at the airplane occupants, the airplane collided with a north-south oriented power line which crossed over the highway. Control of the airplane was lost, and it crashed 480 feet from the acquaintance. The severed power line was located approximately 33 feet above ground level.

History of flight

On March 15, 1995, around 1255 mountain standard time, a Cessna 180, N1520C, owned and operated by the pilot, collided with power lines and terrain about 15 miles west of Winslow, Arizona. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time of the personal flight. The airplane was destroyed. The private pilot and the first passenger were fatally injured. The second passenger was seriously injured. The flight originated from Page, Arizona, around 1100.

According to information received from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), Arizona Public Service, and the Coconino County Sheriff's Department, minutes prior to the crash a ground-based witness located at the Meteor City Trading Post (curio shop) spoke via telephone with an occupant in the airborne accident airplane. The airplane occupant informed the witness that they planned to "buzz" the witness' location. The airplane subsequently arrived at the witness' location, and a low-altitude pass was performed. While flying by, the ground-based witness and the occupants in the airplane waved at each other.

Seconds later, the airplane's left wing collided with two north-south oriented power lines (a static line and an energized cable) located between 50 and 55 feet from where the witness was standing near the trading post. The cables were suspended about 33 feet above the ground. The airplane was observed to roll left and impact terrain adjacent to the east-west oriented Interstate Highway 40. The airplane came to rest about 480 feet east of the witness.

Arriving officers reported finding evidence of fuel in the fragmented wreckage. There was no fire.

Personnel from the Coconino County Sheriff's Department interviewed the sole surviving airplane passenger. In pertinent part, the passenger stated that the flight originated on March 15, 1995, from Phoenix, Arizona, around 0615. The passenger, along with the pilot and the first passenger, flew to Lake Powell and landed around 0830. The group conducted personal business, and then took off from the Page Airport around 1100. Their planned destination was Scottsdale, Arizona. While en route, the group decided to fly by Meteor City where a friend of the first passenger was believed located. The first passenger made contact via cellular phone with his Meteor City friend. A decision was then made to fly over his friend's location. The second passenger was not aware of any problems with the airplane.