- Date
- January 8, 1997, 16:10 local (Jan 9, 1997, 00:10 UTC)
- Place
- The Dalles, OR
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Maneuvering
- Aircraft
- N812ABBarriger RV-6
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report October 14, 1997
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19970109000249A
- Case key
- 42553
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 pilot's failure to maintain clearance from a powerline during an intentional low altitude maneuver.
Analysis
The pilot circled over an airstrip owned by his employer. When the people he worked with came out of the hanger, the pilot made a low circling pass and hit a powerline.
Factual narrative
On January 8, 1997, at 1610 Pacific standard time, a homebuilt aircraft, a Barrigar RV-6, N812AB, collided with power lines while making a low pass over an airstrip. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time and no flight plan was filed for the local personal flight. The purpose of the flight was to check the accuracy of instruments in the aircraft against test instruments. The airplane was substantially damaged and the commercial pilot, the sole occupant, was not injured.
The pilot reported that he circled over the Shearers airstrip, which is owned by the company he worked for. When the people he worked for came out of the hanger, he made a low circling pass and contacted the top wire of a powerline.
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
- N812AB
- Reported as
- Barriger RV-6
- Category
- Airplane, amateur-built
- Serial number
- 23759
- Airframe hours
- 8
- Engine
- Lycoming O-320, 160 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Alan R. Barrigar
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Experimental (Special)
- Last inspection
- Annual · August 1, 1996 · 8 hours before
- Departed
- KDLS · WA
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
- 47
- Certificates
- Flight instructor, Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine land, Single-engine sea
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 13,100 total · 10 in this make and model · 12,985 as pilot in command · 120 in the last 90 days · 25 in the last 30 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- Calm
- Visibility
- 25 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 10,000 ft overcast
- Temperature
- 45 °F
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 N812AB · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.