Narrative:

I was operating from the camarillo airport, conducting sightseeing flts. The aircraft I use for these flts is a vintage biplane. We are very thorough and conscientious in our maintenance of this aircraft, and have never experienced any mechanical problems in over 2000 hours and 15 yrs of flying. However, due to the age of the design and construction of the aircraft, we feel it is prudent to fly in a manner which would allow us to execute a successful forced landing should the need arise. This flight was the fifth of the afternoon. On the previous flight the camarillo tower instructed me to hold outside the air traffic area for 10 mins while they released several departures. The terrain over which I found myself during that period of holding was largely citrus groves and not really suitable for landing. On the subsequent flight I directed my course over the santa paula river, which was seasonally dry and promised to offer a more suitable emergency landing area over which to circle, should it become necessary to execute additional holding pattern. The camarillo tower had been holding aircraft outside the air traffic area periodically throughout the afternoon. I flew a series of gradually descending circles over the dry river looking for obstructions, and then leveled out to examine the ground for smoothness and to determine if it would provide a safe surface on which to execute a forced landing, should the need arise. It was at this point in the flight that I came in contact with a set of unmarked transmission lines descending from a hilltop on the south side of the river, down across the wind alluvial plain of the river bed, and terminating at a tower on the river's far north edge. I would estimate this span of wire to be between 3/4-1 mi in length. Contact with the wires tore some small areas of fabric on the wind that were visible from the cockpit. The aircraft remained ctlable and handled normally in all respects. The engine responded normally to all controls and no unusual vibration was experienced. All flight controls operated normally, and upon later inspection proved to be undamaged. My view of the landing gear is obstructed by the lower wing, and I was unable to determine its status in flight. I elected to land at the santa paula airport as it was a little closer and lined up into the prevailing wind. Camarillo had experienced a strong left crosswind all afternoon. The landing at santa paula was uneventful. The landing gear was intact, there were no injuries to anyone involved, and damaged to the aircraft was not extensive. What is to be learned from this incident? Obviously, it would be safer if long unsupported spans of power lines could be marked with obstruction balls. In subsequent discussions with the power company I realized they are disinclined to do this except in the immediate vicinity of airports. They claim it is impractical elsewhere, and they may well be right. How about the human performance considerations. In the past I've personally spoken to 3 other pilots who have flown into wires. Perhaps then, more than the average pilot, I am acutely aware of the hazards they present and am continuously vigilant in my flying to see and avoid such hazards. Any yet, here I am, after all my care and precautions, writing a report about my incident with power lines. Am I overemphasizing the possibility of engine failure to the detriment of other areas of safety? In the past I've always prided myself on flying in such a manner that, whenever possibly, I have preselected an emergency landing site should that need arise. I never assumed that this precaution in itself might on day lead me into jeopardy.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: PLT OF SIGHTSEEING OPERATION CIRCLING HITS POWER LINE.

Narrative: I WAS OPERATING FROM THE CAMARILLO ARPT, CONDUCTING SIGHTSEEING FLTS. THE ACFT I USE FOR THESE FLTS IS A VINTAGE BIPLANE. WE ARE VERY THOROUGH AND CONSCIENTIOUS IN OUR MAINT OF THIS ACFT, AND HAVE NEVER EXPERIENCED ANY MECHANICAL PROBS IN OVER 2000 HRS AND 15 YRS OF FLYING. HOWEVER, DUE TO THE AGE OF THE DESIGN AND CONSTRUCTION OF THE ACFT, WE FEEL IT IS PRUDENT TO FLY IN A MANNER WHICH WOULD ALLOW US TO EXECUTE A SUCCESSFUL FORCED LNDG SHOULD THE NEED ARISE. THIS FLT WAS THE FIFTH OF THE AFTERNOON. ON THE PREVIOUS FLT THE CAMARILLO TWR INSTRUCTED ME TO HOLD OUTSIDE THE ATA FOR 10 MINS WHILE THEY RELEASED SEVERAL DEPS. THE TERRAIN OVER WHICH I FOUND MYSELF DURING THAT PERIOD OF HOLDING WAS LARGELY CITRUS GROVES AND NOT REALLY SUITABLE FOR LNDG. ON THE SUBSEQUENT FLT I DIRECTED MY COURSE OVER THE SANTA PAULA RIVER, WHICH WAS SEASONALLY DRY AND PROMISED TO OFFER A MORE SUITABLE EMER LNDG AREA OVER WHICH TO CIRCLE, SHOULD IT BECOME NECESSARY TO EXECUTE ADDITIONAL HOLDING PATTERN. THE CAMARILLO TWR HAD BEEN HOLDING ACFT OUTSIDE THE ATA PERIODICALLY THROUGHOUT THE AFTERNOON. I FLEW A SERIES OF GRADUALLY DSNDING CIRCLES OVER THE DRY RIVER LOOKING FOR OBSTRUCTIONS, AND THEN LEVELED OUT TO EXAMINE THE GND FOR SMOOTHNESS AND TO DETERMINE IF IT WOULD PROVIDE A SAFE SURFACE ON WHICH TO EXECUTE A FORCED LNDG, SHOULD THE NEED ARISE. IT WAS AT THIS POINT IN THE FLT THAT I CAME IN CONTACT WITH A SET OF UNMARKED XMISSION LINES DSNDING FROM A HILLTOP ON THE S SIDE OF THE RIVER, DOWN ACROSS THE WIND ALLUVIAL PLAIN OF THE RIVER BED, AND TERMINATING AT A TWR ON THE RIVER'S FAR N EDGE. I WOULD ESTIMATE THIS SPAN OF WIRE TO BE BTWN 3/4-1 MI IN LENGTH. CONTACT WITH THE WIRES TORE SOME SMALL AREAS OF FABRIC ON THE WIND THAT WERE VISIBLE FROM THE COCKPIT. THE ACFT REMAINED CTLABLE AND HANDLED NORMALLY IN ALL RESPECTS. THE ENG RESPONDED NORMALLY TO ALL CONTROLS AND NO UNUSUAL VIBRATION WAS EXPERIENCED. ALL FLT CONTROLS OPERATED NORMALLY, AND UPON LATER INSPECTION PROVED TO BE UNDAMAGED. MY VIEW OF THE LNDG GEAR IS OBSTRUCTED BY THE LOWER WING, AND I WAS UNABLE TO DETERMINE ITS STATUS IN FLT. I ELECTED TO LAND AT THE SANTA PAULA ARPT AS IT WAS A LITTLE CLOSER AND LINED UP INTO THE PREVAILING WIND. CAMARILLO HAD EXPERIENCED A STRONG LEFT XWIND ALL AFTERNOON. THE LNDG AT SANTA PAULA WAS UNEVENTFUL. THE LNDG GEAR WAS INTACT, THERE WERE NO INJURIES TO ANYONE INVOLVED, AND DAMAGED TO THE ACFT WAS NOT EXTENSIVE. WHAT IS TO BE LEARNED FROM THIS INCIDENT? OBVIOUSLY, IT WOULD BE SAFER IF LONG UNSUPPORTED SPANS OF PWR LINES COULD BE MARKED WITH OBSTRUCTION BALLS. IN SUBSEQUENT DISCUSSIONS WITH THE PWR COMPANY I REALIZED THEY ARE DISINCLINED TO DO THIS EXCEPT IN THE IMMEDIATE VICINITY OF ARPTS. THEY CLAIM IT IS IMPRACTICAL ELSEWHERE, AND THEY MAY WELL BE RIGHT. HOW ABOUT THE HUMAN PERFORMANCE CONSIDERATIONS. IN THE PAST I'VE PERSONALLY SPOKEN TO 3 OTHER PLTS WHO HAVE FLOWN INTO WIRES. PERHAPS THEN, MORE THAN THE AVERAGE PLT, I AM ACUTELY AWARE OF THE HAZARDS THEY PRESENT AND AM CONTINUOUSLY VIGILANT IN MY FLYING TO SEE AND AVOID SUCH HAZARDS. ANY YET, HERE I AM, AFTER ALL MY CARE AND PRECAUTIONS, WRITING A RPT ABOUT MY INCIDENT WITH PWR LINES. AM I OVEREMPHASIZING THE POSSIBILITY OF ENG FAILURE TO THE DETRIMENT OF OTHER AREAS OF SAFETY? IN THE PAST I'VE ALWAYS PRIDED MYSELF ON FLYING IN SUCH A MANNER THAT, WHENEVER POSSIBLY, I HAVE PRESELECTED AN EMER LNDG SITE SHOULD THAT NEED ARISE. I NEVER ASSUMED THAT THIS PRECAUTION IN ITSELF MIGHT ON DAY LEAD ME INTO JEOPARDY.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of July 2007 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.