Pilot of an small aircraft sel aircraft struck wires during landing at a private uncharted airport r...

Attributes
ACN	248755
Time
Date	199308
Day	Sun
Local Time Of Day	1801 To 2400
Place
Locale Reference	airport : 9g3
State Reference	NY
Altitude	agl bound lower : 20 agl bound upper : 50
Environment
Flight Conditions	VMC
Light	Daylight
Aircraft 1
Controlling Facilities	artcc : zbw
Operator	general aviation : personal
Make Model Name	Small Aircraft, High Wing, 1 Eng, Fixed Gear
Flight Phase	landing other
Flight Plan	None
Person 1
Affiliation	Other
Function	flight crew : single pilot
Qualification	pilot : instrument pilot : flight engineer pilot : commercial pilot : atp
Experience	flight time last 90 days : 110 flight time total : 5450 flight time type : 350
ASRS Report	248755
Events
Anomaly	conflict : ground critical other anomaly other other spatial deviation
Independent Detector	other flight crewa
Resolutory Action	none taken : detected after the fact
Consequence	faa : investigated other
Supplementary
Primary Problem	Airport
Air Traffic Incident	other
Situations
Airport	other physical facility

Narrative:

My son and I departed the akron airport on a local pleasure flight in my personal airplane. We decided to practice a landing at a private airstrip 5 NM ese of darien, ny. We flew overhead and both discussed and scanned for the possibility of wires near the approach end of the runway. With a light wind from the northwest, I elected to land to the north. Until now, we had sighted wires to the west along the road, but could not see poles or wires or ball markers at the approach end of the runway. I turned a normal final approach and was near the point of flaring to land when I saw a set of wires directly ahead. These wires were located about 200 ft down the runway, away from the road. The vertical fin of my airplane contacted the wires, and I was able to complete the landing. We could not see the wires or the poles from the air because they were not marked and because the power poles were located in shadow along a hedgerow to the east, and on the side of a large tree to the west. In addition, the span of the wires was quite long, nearly 300 ft. Between poles. These wires were displaced 200 ft from the road, and there was no discernable pattern of pole spacing along the road. The FAA should make available specifications for marking devices to all private strip owners and power companies, and mandate they should suitably mark all wires within a specified distance of any aircraft landing surface. Callback conversation with reporter revealed the following information: reporter stated that the wires struck were hanging across the runway landing area approximately 20 ft above the ground. The aircraft struck the wires with the vertical stabilizer which pulled the aircraft to the ground, ripping the vertical tail- plane almost off, and pulling down the wires and 1 pole. The wires came together and shorted out the electricity to the surrounding area. He believes that even though the airport is private and uncharted, it should be required by FAA to meet standards for wire location and markings. He stated that the FAA FSDO investigated the accident by order of the NTSB and declared it an incident.

Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: PLT OF AN SMA SEL ACFT STRUCK WIRES DURING LNDG AT A PVT UNCHARTED ARPT RESULTING IN DAMAGE TO THE ACFT VERT STABILIZER AND RUDDER.

Narrative: MY SON AND I DEPARTED THE AKRON ARPT ON A LCL PLEASURE FLT IN MY PERSONAL AIRPLANE. WE DECIDED TO PRACTICE A LNDG AT A PRIVATE AIRSTRIP 5 NM ESE OF DARIEN, NY. WE FLEW OVERHEAD AND BOTH DISCUSSED AND SCANNED FOR THE POSSIBILITY OF WIRES NEAR THE APCH END OF THE RWY. WITH A LIGHT WIND FROM THE NW, I ELECTED TO LAND TO THE N. UNTIL NOW, WE HAD SIGHTED WIRES TO THE W ALONG THE ROAD, BUT COULD NOT SEE POLES OR WIRES OR BALL MARKERS AT THE APCH END OF THE RWY. I TURNED A NORMAL FINAL APCH AND WAS NEAR THE POINT OF FLARING TO LAND WHEN I SAW A SET OF WIRES DIRECTLY AHEAD. THESE WIRES WERE LOCATED ABOUT 200 FT DOWN THE RWY, AWAY FROM THE ROAD. THE VERT FIN OF MY AIRPLANE CONTACTED THE WIRES, AND I WAS ABLE TO COMPLETE THE LNDG. WE COULD NOT SEE THE WIRES OR THE POLES FROM THE AIR BECAUSE THEY WERE NOT MARKED AND BECAUSE THE PWR POLES WERE LOCATED IN SHADOW ALONG A HEDGEROW TO THE E, AND ON THE SIDE OF A LARGE TREE TO THE W. IN ADDITION, THE SPAN OF THE WIRES WAS QUITE LONG, NEARLY 300 FT. BTWN POLES. THESE WIRES WERE DISPLACED 200 FT FROM THE ROAD, AND THERE WAS NO DISCERNABLE PATTERN OF POLE SPACING ALONG THE ROAD. THE FAA SHOULD MAKE AVAILABLE SPECS FOR MARKING DEVICES TO ALL PRIVATE STRIP OWNERS AND PWR COMPANIES, AND MANDATE THEY SHOULD SUITABLY MARK ALL WIRES WITHIN A SPECIFIED DISTANCE OF ANY ACFT LNDG SURFACE. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: RPTR STATED THAT THE WIRES STRUCK WERE HANGING ACROSS THE RWY LNDG AREA APPROX 20 FT ABOVE THE GND. THE ACFT STRUCK THE WIRES WITH THE VERT STABILIZER WHICH PULLED THE ACFT TO THE GND, RIPPING THE VERT TAIL- PLANE ALMOST OFF, AND PULLING DOWN THE WIRES AND 1 POLE. THE WIRES CAME TOGETHER AND SHORTED OUT THE ELECTRICITY TO THE SURROUNDING AREA. HE BELIEVES THAT EVEN THOUGH THE ARPT IS PVT AND UNCHARTED, IT SHOULD BE REQUIRED BY FAA TO MEET STANDARDS FOR WIRE LOCATION AND MARKINGS. HE STATED THAT THE FAA FSDO INVESTIGATED THE ACCIDENT BY ORDER OF THE NTSB AND DECLARED IT AN INCIDENT.

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.

Pilot of an small aircraft sel aircraft struck wires during landing at a private uncharted airport resulting in damage to the aircraft vertical stabilizer and rudder.