- Date
- June 21, 1996, 09:30 local (16:30 UTC)
- Place
- Lamont, CA
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Maneuvering
- Aircraft
- N2456EAeronca 7AC
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report December 10, 1996
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19960621014899A
- Case key
- 29477
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
failure of the pilot to see-and-avoid a guy wire along the border of a field that was being agriculturally treated. The sunglare, guy wire, and lack of visual cues were related factors.
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 was flying at a low altitude dropping beneficial insects on a field of vines. He stated that PG&E had installed a guy wire since the last time that he had worked the field. The pilot was flying into the early morning rising sun, and the airplane collided with the wire across the windshield.
Factual narrative
On June 21, 1996, at 0900 hours Pacific daylight time an Aeronca, 7AC, N2456E, was substantially damaged during a collision with a wire while on an aerial application flight near Lamont, California. The pilot was not injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed for the agricultural operation. The flight originated at Caruthers, California, on the morning of the accident.
In the pilot's report to the Safety Board he stated that he was flying east into the morning's rising sun and did not see the guy wire. He said the wire had been installed by PG&E since the last time he had worked the field. The wire was reported to be about 15 feet above ground level.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N2456E
- Reported as
- Aeronca 7AC
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 7AC6035
- Engine
- Continental C-85-12, 85 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Aerial application · Part 137
- Registered owner
- Kenneth R. Lane
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Departed
- 073 · Caruthers, 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
- 45
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Front
- Flight hours
- 4,000 total · 900 in this make and model · 65 in the last 90 days · 20 in the last 30 days · 4 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 300° at 12 knots
- Visibility
- 20 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 75 °F
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.