Accident Details
Probable Cause and Findings
the attempted low level flight/maneuver with inadequate visual lookout by the pilot-in-command.
Aircraft Information
Registered Owner (Historical)
Analysis
On September 5, 1994 about 1730 central daylight time, an Aeronca 7BCM, N82114, crashed after it struck power lines near Cassoday, Kansas. The airplane was destroyed, and the private pilot, who was the sole occupant, was seriously injured. The personal flight originated at the Newton-City-County Airport, Newton, Kansas at 1645, with an intended destination of the Captain Jack Thomas/El Dorado Airport, El Dorado, Kansas. No flight plan was filed, and visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time.
The pilot stated he sighted a freight train moving northbound near El Dorado Lake and decided to follow it. After lining up with the railroad tracks and descending, he said he saw some power lines at eye level. He stated he attempted to pull up but the lines caught on the landing gear and flipped the airplane onto the track ballast inverted.
Data Source
Data provided by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB). For more information on this event, visit the NTSB Records Search website. NTSB# CHI94LA311