Piper PA-36-375 N7167E

Summary

On 18 February 1997 at about 15:15 local time, a Piper PA-36-375 registered N7167E was involved in an accident near Danevang, Texas, United States. One person was on board and nobody was injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

18 February 1997 at 15:15

Classification

Accident

Location

Danevang, Texas, United States

Coordinates

29.0799, -96.1696

Aircraft

Piper PA-36-375

Registration

N7167E

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 137: Agricultural

Purpose of flight

Aerial Application

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

FTW97LA105

Nobody was injured.

The utility's company failure to notify affected parties of the downed line, and the pilot's failure to maintain clearance with the downed wire. A factor was the downed wire.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot stated that during the fifth spraying pass, he elected to cross under the power lines which he estimated to be suspended about 35 to 40 feet above the ground. As the airplane crossed under the power lines, at an estimated wheel height of 18 inches above ground level, the left main landing gear became entangled on a broken static wire that was left dangling from atop one of the 65 foot poles. The pilot reported that the static wire, which had been previously cut by another airplane, had been pulled off the ground by the utility company and temporarily tied off so one portion of the cable was suspended about 6 feet off the ground. The pilot stated that the airplane decelerated 'rather abruptly' as the gear was torn from the airframe, and the airplane impacted the ground in 'a slight nose low attitude,' skidding along the ground for 190 feet prior to coming to a stop. The power company reported that a power interruption occurred on the evening prior to the accident; however, the downed static line was left unmarked. Neither the property owner nor the operator of the airplane that cut the line were notified of the downed line prior to the accident.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.