- Date
- June 24, 1999, 12:30 local (18:30 UTC)
- Place
- Big Sandy, MT
- Injuries
- 1 minor
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Maneuvering
- Aircraft
- N4788QCessna A188B
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report August 3, 2000
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19990624007569A
- Case key
- 46658
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 pilot's failure to maintain clearance between the wire and his aircraft. A transmission wire and downdraft were 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 reported that he was pulling up from the end of an application run when the aircraft flew into a wire. The pilot stated that he knew that the aircraft was approaching the wire, but just as he initiated the pull-up to clear it, the aircraft encountered a downdraft. The pilot was unable to overcome the effects of the downdraft in time to clear the wire.
Factual narrative
On June 24, 1999, approximately 1230 mountain daylight time, a Cessna A188B, N4788Q, collided with a power line during a CFR Part 137 aerial application flight about 25 miles south of Big Sandy, Montana. The commercial pilot received minor injuries, and the aircraft, which was owned and operated by Big Sandy Spraying Service, sustained substantial damage. The aircraft, which was being operated in visual meteorological conditions, had been airborne for about 20 minutes. No flight plan had been filed, and there was no report of an ELT activation.
According to local authorities, and the pilot's written statement, the pilot was pulling up from the end of an application run when the aircraft flew into the wire. The pilot said that he knew the aircraft was approaching the wire, but just as he initiated his pull-up to clear it, the aircraft encountered a downdraft. He was unable to overcome the effects of the downdraft in time to avoid contact with the wire.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N4788Q
- Reported as
- Cessna A188B
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 18802530T
- Airframe hours
- 3,902
- Engine
- Continental IO-520-D23, 300 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Fire
- On-Ground
- Flight
- Aerial application · Part 137
- Registered owner
- Thomas L. Hlavnicka
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Restricted (Special)
- Last inspection
- Annual · March 31, 1999 · 200 hours before
- Departed
- 3U8 · MT
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
- 40
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Center
- Flight hours
- 4,000 total · 2,000 in this make and model · 3,900 as pilot in command · 300 in the last 90 days · 100 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- Variable at 10 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 70 °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 N4788Q · 3
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.