Narrative:

I had departed scottsbluff, northeast, in a piper navajo, on a flight to lincoln, northeast, picking up 1 passenger at each stop, kimball, ogallala, north platte, and ainsworth en route to lincoln. After waiting some time returning home via the same route to return the passenger where I had picked them up. The trip was uneventful until reaching ogallala. It was night going into ogallala, called on unicom but received no reply. Notified other aircraft of my position and received no response. I tuned in the ogallala ASOS and received the winds and altimeter setting. The winds, as I recall, were 7 KTS at 320 degrees. I wanted to use runway 26 because it is longer and wider than the alternative runway 31, the light wind made wind no real factor, plus I was familiar with the runway 26 approach. Approaching the airport I discovered runway lights were lighted on runway 13/31. I tried using the radio to turn on the lights on runway 26/08 but without success. I had no choice but to land on runway 31. I was at 1000 ft AGL, about 3 mi from the end of the runway, established on approach with the gear down, 15 degrees of flaps, 100 KTS of airspeed and landing check completed. I intended to land about 500 ft in from the approach end of the runway and flare at 90 KTS. The airplane was light with a low fuel load and carrying 2 passenger. The approach was normal and looked good until all of a sudden pwrlines showed up in the landing lights. Response time was almost nil. Concerned about a stall, I pulled back only slightly hoping to miss the lines, because I was above them, but I felt the gear hit a line. Next I had to make a quick decision on the landing. The airplane was flying all right, the gear lights were all green, so I landed. I considered no benefit in aborting the landing because if the gear had sustained damage and I pulled them up they might not extend again. I landed and cautiously brought the aircraft to a stop on the runway, turned to back-track on the runway, and taxied to a position in front of the unattended fixed base operation. There I shut the airplane down where it was well lighted and examined the aircraft for damage. My passenger were not aware of anything until I told them. I found a short piece of copper wire, about 2-3 ft long, attached to the nose gear, positioned at the top of the tire on the fork of the nose gear assembly. There was also a small nick on the leading edge of one blade of the left propeller, about 2-3 inches from the tip where it had apparently struck the copper wire. I discovered no other damage. I used an available telephone and called columbus flight service and reported the incident. The nick in the propeller was small, not unlike a rock nick that sometimes occur. I decided to continue the flight. I started the aircraft and ran it up in a power check primarily to check for any vibration. Everything checked normal and I continued the flight to kimball, let my passenger out and returned to scottsbluff. The next day our maintenance personnel checked the aircraft and determined no damage except for the nick in the propeller which they dressed out with a file. Obviously my approach was too low for the runway 31 approach to ogallala airport, or I would not have hit the line. Had I realized just how close those pwrlines are to the end of the runway I would have steepened the approach. The approach I flew was intentional considering the light wind and the short length of the runway, and the light load aboard. The airport facility directory for the ogallala airport shows 'runway 31: pole,' which in my opinion should read 'power line.' it also shows medium intensity runway lights on both runways 08/26 and runways 13/31. The airport manager informed me when I later called him that the transformer is too small to light both runways at the same time, but that a new transformer is being obtained to correct the deficiency. I would expect the fact that only one runway can be lighted should show in the airport facility directory or by NOTAM for the airport. I'm a former military pilot. I have flown wwii, korea, saudi arabia and vietnam. Except for some military experiences in training and in combat I cannot recall having ever damaged an aircraft. I regret clipping this wire and assure you I will be more cautions of such things in the future. I also feel that such wires, so close to the approach end of a runway, should be marked with large balls on the wire or with obstruction lights for the safety of others in the future. The line is hazardous for flight in and out of ogallala.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: AIR TAXI PLT OF PA31, PIPER NAVAJO HITS PWRLINE ON APCH AT NIGHT. MINIMAL DAMAGE TO ACFT.

Narrative: I HAD DEPARTED SCOTTSBLUFF, NE, IN A PIPER NAVAJO, ON A FLT TO LINCOLN, NE, PICKING UP 1 PAX AT EACH STOP, KIMBALL, OGALLALA, NORTH PLATTE, AND AINSWORTH ENRTE TO LINCOLN. AFTER WAITING SOME TIME RETURNING HOME VIA THE SAME RTE TO RETURN THE PAX WHERE I HAD PICKED THEM UP. THE TRIP WAS UNEVENTFUL UNTIL REACHING OGALLALA. IT WAS NIGHT GOING INTO OGALLALA, CALLED ON UNICOM BUT RECEIVED NO REPLY. NOTIFIED OTHER ACFT OF MY POS AND RECEIVED NO RESPONSE. I TUNED IN THE OGALLALA ASOS AND RECEIVED THE WINDS AND ALTIMETER SETTING. THE WINDS, AS I RECALL, WERE 7 KTS AT 320 DEGS. I WANTED TO USE RWY 26 BECAUSE IT IS LONGER AND WIDER THAN THE ALTERNATIVE RWY 31, THE LIGHT WIND MADE WIND NO REAL FACTOR, PLUS I WAS FAMILIAR WITH THE RWY 26 APCH. APCHING THE ARPT I DISCOVERED RWY LIGHTS WERE LIGHTED ON RWY 13/31. I TRIED USING THE RADIO TO TURN ON THE LIGHTS ON RWY 26/08 BUT WITHOUT SUCCESS. I HAD NO CHOICE BUT TO LAND ON RWY 31. I WAS AT 1000 FT AGL, ABOUT 3 MI FROM THE END OF THE RWY, ESTABLISHED ON APCH WITH THE GEAR DOWN, 15 DEGS OF FLAPS, 100 KTS OF AIRSPD AND LNDG CHK COMPLETED. I INTENDED TO LAND ABOUT 500 FT IN FROM THE APCH END OF THE RWY AND FLARE AT 90 KTS. THE AIRPLANE WAS LIGHT WITH A LOW FUEL LOAD AND CARRYING 2 PAX. THE APCH WAS NORMAL AND LOOKED GOOD UNTIL ALL OF A SUDDEN PWRLINES SHOWED UP IN THE LNDG LIGHTS. RESPONSE TIME WAS ALMOST NIL. CONCERNED ABOUT A STALL, I PULLED BACK ONLY SLIGHTLY HOPING TO MISS THE LINES, BECAUSE I WAS ABOVE THEM, BUT I FELT THE GEAR HIT A LINE. NEXT I HAD TO MAKE A QUICK DECISION ON THE LNDG. THE AIRPLANE WAS FLYING ALL RIGHT, THE GEAR LIGHTS WERE ALL GREEN, SO I LANDED. I CONSIDERED NO BENEFIT IN ABORTING THE LNDG BECAUSE IF THE GEAR HAD SUSTAINED DAMAGE AND I PULLED THEM UP THEY MIGHT NOT EXTEND AGAIN. I LANDED AND CAUTIOUSLY BROUGHT THE ACFT TO A STOP ON THE RWY, TURNED TO BACK-TRACK ON THE RWY, AND TAXIED TO A POS IN FRONT OF THE UNATTENDED FIXED BASE OP. THERE I SHUT THE AIRPLANE DOWN WHERE IT WAS WELL LIGHTED AND EXAMINED THE ACFT FOR DAMAGE. MY PAX WERE NOT AWARE OF ANYTHING UNTIL I TOLD THEM. I FOUND A SHORT PIECE OF COPPER WIRE, ABOUT 2-3 FT LONG, ATTACHED TO THE NOSE GEAR, POSITIONED AT THE TOP OF THE TIRE ON THE FORK OF THE NOSE GEAR ASSEMBLY. THERE WAS ALSO A SMALL NICK ON THE LEADING EDGE OF ONE BLADE OF THE L PROP, ABOUT 2-3 INCHES FROM THE TIP WHERE IT HAD APPARENTLY STRUCK THE COPPER WIRE. I DISCOVERED NO OTHER DAMAGE. I USED AN AVAILABLE TELEPHONE AND CALLED COLUMBUS FLT SVC AND RPTED THE INCIDENT. THE NICK IN THE PROP WAS SMALL, NOT UNLIKE A ROCK NICK THAT SOMETIMES OCCUR. I DECIDED TO CONTINUE THE FLT. I STARTED THE ACFT AND RAN IT UP IN A PWR CHK PRIMARILY TO CHK FOR ANY VIBRATION. EVERYTHING CHKED NORMAL AND I CONTINUED THE FLT TO KIMBALL, LET MY PAX OUT AND RETURNED TO SCOTTSBLUFF. THE NEXT DAY OUR MAINT PERSONNEL CHKED THE ACFT AND DETERMINED NO DAMAGE EXCEPT FOR THE NICK IN THE PROP WHICH THEY DRESSED OUT WITH A FILE. OBVIOUSLY MY APCH WAS TOO LOW FOR THE RWY 31 APCH TO OGALLALA ARPT, OR I WOULD NOT HAVE HIT THE LINE. HAD I REALIZED JUST HOW CLOSE THOSE PWRLINES ARE TO THE END OF THE RWY I WOULD HAVE STEEPENED THE APCH. THE APCH I FLEW WAS INTENTIONAL CONSIDERING THE LIGHT WIND AND THE SHORT LENGTH OF THE RWY, AND THE LIGHT LOAD ABOARD. THE ARPT FACILITY DIRECTORY FOR THE OGALLALA ARPT SHOWS 'RWY 31: POLE,' WHICH IN MY OPINION SHOULD READ 'POWER LINE.' IT ALSO SHOWS MEDIUM INTENSITY RWY LIGHTS ON BOTH RWYS 08/26 AND RWYS 13/31. THE ARPT MGR INFORMED ME WHEN I LATER CALLED HIM THAT THE TRANSFORMER IS TOO SMALL TO LIGHT BOTH RWYS AT THE SAME TIME, BUT THAT A NEW TRANSFORMER IS BEING OBTAINED TO CORRECT THE DEFICIENCY. I WOULD EXPECT THE FACT THAT ONLY ONE RWY CAN BE LIGHTED SHOULD SHOW IN THE ARPT FACILITY DIRECTORY OR BY NOTAM FOR THE ARPT. I'M A FORMER MIL PLT. I HAVE FLOWN WWII, KOREA, SAUDI ARABIA AND VIETNAM. EXCEPT FOR SOME MIL EXPERIENCES IN TRAINING AND IN COMBAT I CANNOT RECALL HAVING EVER DAMAGED AN ACFT. I REGRET CLIPPING THIS WIRE AND ASSURE YOU I WILL BE MORE CAUTIONS OF SUCH THINGS IN THE FUTURE. I ALSO FEEL THAT SUCH WIRES, SO CLOSE TO THE APCH END OF A RWY, SHOULD BE MARKED WITH LARGE BALLS ON THE WIRE OR WITH OBSTRUCTION LIGHTS FOR THE SAFETY OF OTHERS IN THE FUTURE. THE LINE IS HAZARDOUS FOR FLT IN AND OUT OF OGALLALA.

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.