PA28 pilot reports contacting power lines with the left main gear during approach to an uncontrolled...

Attributes
ACN	1190846
Time
Date	201407
Local Time Of Day	1201-1800
Place
Locale Reference	CUB.Airport
State Reference	SC
Environment
Flight Conditions	VMC
Light	Daylight
Aircraft 1
Make Model Name	PA-28 Cherokee/Archer/Dakota/Pillan/Warrior
Operating Under FAR Part	Part 91
Flight Phase	Final Approach
Route In Use	Visual Approach
Flight Plan	VFR
Person 1
Function	Single Pilot
Qualification	Flight Crew Multiengine Flight Crew Commercial Flight Crew Instrument
Experience	Flight Crew Last 90 Days 27.5 Flight Crew Total 2466 Flight Crew Type 27.5
Events
Anomaly	Deviation - Procedural Published Material / Policy Deviation - Speed All Types Inflight Event / Encounter Object Inflight Event / Encounter Weather / Turbulence

Narrative:

On final approach; the airplane was not descending normally due to slight thermal activity. I reduced power about 200 RPM and about that time my passenger asked what the stall warning light was. I looked at the light; then looked at the airspeed indicator which was 78 mph. I then turned my attention back to the runway and saw that I had descended too low. I immediately applied power. About that time I felt the left gear strike something but it did not seem to be serious. I aborted the landing and went around the pattern. On landing; the aircraft pulled to the left but with right rudder I was able to keep it straight on the runway and taxi to my hangar. I went to the terminal to get my passengers wife and was told that I had hit a high tension wire. As I see it; the cause was several things. The thermal activity decreased at the time my attention was distracted and the high tension wires were 38 feet high; one block from the airport; approximately 1/10 mile. I will fix the distraction problem by not having any conversation during takeoff and landing. The high tension wires should be located underground or at least have aviation balls on them.

Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: PA28 pilot reports contacting power lines with the left main gear during approach to an uncontrolled airport; due to thermal activity and distraction. A go-around is initiated with the aircraft pulling to the left on the ensuing landing.

Narrative: On final approach; the airplane was not descending normally due to slight thermal activity. I reduced power about 200 RPM and about that time my passenger asked what the stall warning light was. I looked at the light; then looked at the airspeed indicator which was 78 mph. I then turned my attention back to the runway and saw that I had descended too low. I immediately applied power. About that time I felt the left gear strike something but it did not seem to be serious. I aborted the landing and went around the pattern. On landing; the aircraft pulled to the left but with right rudder I was able to keep it straight on the runway and taxi to my hangar. I went to the terminal to get my passengers wife and was told that I had hit a high tension wire. As I see it; the cause was several things. The thermal activity decreased at the time my attention was distracted and the high tension wires were 38 feet high; one block from the airport; approximately 1/10 mile. I will fix the distraction problem by not having any conversation during takeoff and landing. The high tension wires should be located underground or at least have aviation balls on them.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site and automatically converted to unabbreviated mixed upper/lowercase text. This report is for informational purposes with no guarantee of accuracy. See NASA's ASRS site for official report.