N4726V

On February 08, 2008, a Cessna 172RG (N4726V) was involved in an incident near Litchfield, IL. All 2 people aboard were uninjured. The aircraft sustained substantial damage.

The National Transportation Safety Board determined the probable cause of this incident to be: The pilot's intentional low altitude flight and his failure to maintain clearance from the static wire. Contributing to the accident were the static wire, the partial loss of engine power due to propeller vibration, and the muddy field in which the forced landing was made.

The pilot reported that he did not observe any obstacles when he overflew the lake, but noted there was some bird activity in the vicinity. He performed a low altitude pass, approximately 100 feet above the lake, without incident. During a second low altitude pass, the pilot heard a "thump" noise which was immediately followed by a loss of engine power and engine vibration. A forced landing was made in a nearby muddy field, but the airplane nosed over shortly after touchdown. The airplane impacted a static wire that was strung across the lake. The wire, approximately 40 feet above the water, was part of two-wire power transmission line. The airplane's propeller had damage consistent with a wire strike.

This incident is documented in NTSB report CHI08CA079. AviatorDB cross-references NTSB investigation data with FAA registry records to provide comprehensive safety information for aircraft N4726V.