Summary
On June 26, 1996, a Cessna 172H (N3887R) was involved in an accident near Jonesville, SC. The accident resulted in 1 serious injury, 1 minor injury. The aircraft sustained substantial damage.
The National Transportation Safety Board determined the probable cause of this accident to be: The pilot's inadequate visual lookout and failure to maintain altitude and/or clearance from the obstruction (power line) during low altitude flight. The lack of natural lighting at dusk was a related factor.
On June 25, 1996, about 2035 eastern daylight time, a Cessna 172H, N3887R, registered to a private owner, crashed while making a forced landing after striking a power line, near Jonesville, South Carolina, while on a 14 CFR Part 91 personal flight. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time and no flight plan was filed. The airplane sustained substantial damage and the private pilot received minor injuries. A passenger received serious injuries. The flight originated from Union, South Carolina, about 15 minutes before the accident.
The pilot stated that he was in cruise flight at a low altitude near the passengers house.
This accident is documented in NTSB report MIA96LA164. AviatorDB cross-references NTSB investigation data with FAA registry records to provide comprehensive safety information for aircraft N3887R.
Accident Details
Probable Cause and Findings
the pilot's inadequate visual lookout and failure to maintain altitude and/or clearance from the obstruction (power line) during low altitude flight. The lack of natural lighting at dusk was a related factor.
Aircraft Information
Registered Owner (Historical)
Analysis
On June 25, 1996, about 2035 eastern daylight time, a Cessna 172H, N3887R, registered to a private owner, crashed while making a forced landing after striking a power line, near Jonesville, South Carolina, while on a 14 CFR Part 91 personal flight. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time and no flight plan was filed. The airplane sustained substantial damage and the private pilot received minor injuries. A passenger received serious injuries. The flight originated from Union, South Carolina, about 15 minutes before the accident.
The pilot stated that he was in cruise flight at a low altitude near the passengers house. The aircraft struck a power line and the windshield "blew out." While making a forced landing in a field the aircraft touched down nose first, knocking off the nose gear. The aircraft then nosed over and came to rest inverted.
Postcrash examination of the crash site by an FAA inspector showed an electrical wire had been struck near the passengers house and that parts of the aircraft windshield was found near the electrical wires. A mark was found on the aircraft's nose gear that was consistent with the nose gear striking the wire. The aircraft crashed in a field about 6/10 of a mile from the electrical wires.
Data Source
Data provided by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB). For more information on this event, visit the NTSB Records Search website. NTSB# MIA96LA164