Narrative:

At about local time, 10/88, I landed at the malta airport to buy gasoline and a non resident bird license. Another pilot and a man who works asked me where I was headed. I told them xyz resort, and asked me where I was headed. I told them xyz resort, and asked them if the landing strip behind the resort was in use. They advised me not to use the strip, that the owner does not keep it maintained, and that he would lie to someone over the phone that it was ok to land there. So they told me that I could land on the road to the west of the resort, but to watch the high line wires at each end of the road. They also told me that most people who land out there use the road. They also told me that most people who land out there use the road and that I would not create a problem or get in any trouble by doing so. I flew over the road several times while looking at the map that they drew for me. I located the wires that they were talking about and started my approach. I cleared the wires on the east end of the road (next to the resort, I was landing to the west). I started to flare for the landing just as I hit 2 wires about 15' off the ground. The bottom wire must have broken off my nose wheel because when I touched down the nose went all the way down and it skidded down the road about 150 yds. I did not even get slightly injured, there was no fire, and the damage to the plane was the propeller and lower cowling by the nose wheel and the nose gear. I did not see the wires until I was only a few ft from them. I felt that if I had tried to pull up and go over them I might have stalled and caught the top wire in my main landing gear and that would have flipped me. I consider myself lucky to be alive and will never try that stunt again. For the record, there are 3 sets of wires crossing that road. The gentleman at the airport told me that there were only 2 sets of wires. Callback conversation with reporter revealed the following: aircraft is still in mt. Reporter advised suspect some damage may have been done to the firewall. FAA may be classifying incident as an accident, but not sure. So slow on approach did not feel he could attempt a go around or pull up over the wires. Aircraft was moved off the road. Is planning a trip to the west this month to retrieve the aircraft.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: ATTEMPTING TO LAND ACFT UNDER CONTROLLED CONDITIONS ON A ROAD, RESULTED IN STRIKING POWER LINE AND DAMAGING THE ACFT.

Narrative: AT ABOUT LCL TIME, 10/88, I LANDED AT THE MALTA ARPT TO BUY GASOLINE AND A NON RESIDENT BIRD LICENSE. ANOTHER PLT AND A MAN WHO WORKS ASKED ME WHERE I WAS HEADED. I TOLD THEM XYZ RESORT, AND ASKED ME WHERE I WAS HEADED. I TOLD THEM XYZ RESORT, AND ASKED THEM IF THE LNDG STRIP BEHIND THE RESORT WAS IN USE. THEY ADVISED ME NOT TO USE THE STRIP, THAT THE OWNER DOES NOT KEEP IT MAINTAINED, AND THAT HE WOULD LIE TO SOMEONE OVER THE PHONE THAT IT WAS OK TO LAND THERE. SO THEY TOLD ME THAT I COULD LAND ON THE ROAD TO THE W OF THE RESORT, BUT TO WATCH THE HIGH LINE WIRES AT EACH END OF THE ROAD. THEY ALSO TOLD ME THAT MOST PEOPLE WHO LAND OUT THERE USE THE ROAD. THEY ALSO TOLD ME THAT MOST PEOPLE WHO LAND OUT THERE USE THE ROAD AND THAT I WOULD NOT CREATE A PROB OR GET IN ANY TROUBLE BY DOING SO. I FLEW OVER THE ROAD SEVERAL TIMES WHILE LOOKING AT THE MAP THAT THEY DREW FOR ME. I LOCATED THE WIRES THAT THEY WERE TALKING ABOUT AND STARTED MY APCH. I CLRED THE WIRES ON THE E END OF THE ROAD (NEXT TO THE RESORT, I WAS LNDG TO THE W). I STARTED TO FLARE FOR THE LNDG JUST AS I HIT 2 WIRES ABOUT 15' OFF THE GND. THE BOTTOM WIRE MUST HAVE BROKEN OFF MY NOSE WHEEL BECAUSE WHEN I TOUCHED DOWN THE NOSE WENT ALL THE WAY DOWN AND IT SKIDDED DOWN THE ROAD ABOUT 150 YDS. I DID NOT EVEN GET SLIGHTLY INJURED, THERE WAS NO FIRE, AND THE DAMAGE TO THE PLANE WAS THE PROP AND LOWER COWLING BY THE NOSE WHEEL AND THE NOSE GEAR. I DID NOT SEE THE WIRES UNTIL I WAS ONLY A FEW FT FROM THEM. I FELT THAT IF I HAD TRIED TO PULL UP AND GO OVER THEM I MIGHT HAVE STALLED AND CAUGHT THE TOP WIRE IN MY MAIN LNDG GEAR AND THAT WOULD HAVE FLIPPED ME. I CONSIDER MYSELF LUCKY TO BE ALIVE AND WILL NEVER TRY THAT STUNT AGAIN. FOR THE RECORD, THERE ARE 3 SETS OF WIRES XING THAT ROAD. THE GENTLEMAN AT THE ARPT TOLD ME THAT THERE WERE ONLY 2 SETS OF WIRES. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING: ACFT IS STILL IN MT. RPTR ADVISED SUSPECT SOME DAMAGE MAY HAVE BEEN DONE TO THE FIREWALL. FAA MAY BE CLASSIFYING INCIDENT AS AN ACCIDENT, BUT NOT SURE. SO SLOW ON APCH DID NOT FEEL HE COULD ATTEMPT A GO AROUND OR PULL UP OVER THE WIRES. ACFT WAS MOVED OFF THE ROAD. IS PLANNING A TRIP TO THE W THIS MONTH TO RETRIEVE THE ACFT.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of August 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.