North American SNJ-6 N45CK

Summary

On 4 June 2006 at about 00:30 local time, a North American SNJ-6 registered N45CK was involved in an accident near American Falls, Idaho, United States. 2 people were 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

4 June 2006 at 00:30

Classification

Accident

Location

American Falls, Idaho, United States

Coordinates

42.6333, -113.1000

Aircraft

North American SNJ-6

Registration

N45CK

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Ferry

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Afton → Jerome

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

SEA06CA111

Nobody was injured.

The pilot's performance of low altitude flight and his failure to maintain clearance with a power line, which resulted in an in-flight collision with the power line.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot reported that it was cold at a cruise altitude of 8,500 feet msl, and he decided to descend to warmer altitudes. He descended to follow a river. He checked his aeronautical chart and "didn't observe any charted power lines crossing on the segment of the river" that he was flying. He descended to "about 100 feet above the river" and followed the river. He saw three wooden poles and a crossbeam located along the edge of the river, did not see wires, but "made the immediate assumption that there were wires." He pulled up and heard a loud bang as the airplane struck the wires. He also saw a blue flash. After determining that the airplane was "able to continue safe flight," he made a decision to proceed to his original destination, where he was able to make a normal landing. The pilot examined the airplane and reported that the pitot mast was torn from the right wing tip, the leading edges of both outer wing panels were damaged, and there were two puncture holes in the fabric of the left aileron. The pilot stated that "there may have been many contributing factors to this accident but I simply should have had more altitude in order to avoid any possibility of a wire strike."

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.