Powerlines bite!

[Spin]

Saw this one on an overseas forum, pilot was approaching an unfamiliar strip on a game ranch when he seems to have misjudged his final approach over powerlines. Interestingly he attributes the relatively good outcome to the fact that he had done a bush flying course and followed the advice NOT to try and power up and over powerlines that suddenly appear on the nose but rather to try and duck under. The theory is that the upper wire (can't think of the name for it at the moment) that runs above the main span will probably catch the undercarriage and trip you into a very steep nose down attitude and possibly fatal arrival. In this instance one or more of the main conductors caught the tail and although it slowed the plane down, it still dropped more or less flat. I'm sure there are circumstances where this wouldn't be the right move, but this bloke came out of it pretty much ok. Tough little birds those Jabbies:clap:

 

 

 

[Tomo]

Prop undamaged? Wonder if he was doing a forced landing with nil power?

 

Seems unusual that it isn't broken if the engine was running. Unless he was quick to turn off when he saw the predicament.

 

A nice looking aircraft all the same, and a good outcome other than no legs.

 

 

[Spin]

I understood it was a powered approach Tomo, iirc he said something about throttle closed, mags off after the first impact which apparently tore off only one of the main gear legs.

 

 

[Spin]

...more a,,, than c,,,.............

- nearly became a bright spark!

 

 

[dazza 38]

Those power lines, shouldnt be used as arrester cables i think.lol. I have seen a few Jabbys over years,damaged in landings.They take impact realy well.

 

 

[Guest 50ft AGL]

The theory is that the upper wire (can't think of the name for it at the moment) that runs above the main span will probably catch the undercarriage and trip you into a very steep nose down attitude and possibly fatal arrival.

The Earth Wire. This wire is alot thinner in diameter then then the conductors and can sometimes be impossible to see from the air. In my last job inspecting powerlines we had this and the fact that the earth wire can be quite some distance above the conductors (especially in long spans over valleys) drilled in to our heads so we always made sure to fly over the transmission lines higher than the tops of the supporting structures to be safe.

 

 

[pilotdave69]

Working in the electricity industry, not all companies utilise the Earth Wire , ive mainly seen them on the much higher voltage Transmission lines, 66kv and above.. We (Country Energy) have had many accidents with either crop dusters or choppers clipping power lines, with distrastous results. SAD..

 

Overhead power lines are often equipped with a ground conductor (shield wire or overhead earth wire). A ground conductor is a conductor that is usually grounded (earthed) at the top of the supporting structure to minimise the likelihood of direct lightning strikes to the phase conductors. The ground wire is also a parallel path with the earth for fault currents in earthed neutral circuits. Very high-voltage transmission lines may have two ground conductors. These are either at the outermost ends of the highest cross beam, at two V-shaped mast points, or at a separate cross arm.

 

 

[storchy neil]

ask me how

 

to avoid power lines

 

when you see the wire at about fourty knts when landing it takes out the nose wheel

 

that saying oh xxxx does not have time to be uttered

 

fly the air craft it did happen to me on the 9-9-07

 

neil

 

 

[poteroo]

This in response to Spin's initial post.

 

It's safer under - than over in most cases. If you push forward in a hurry - then the top of the fin + rudder will be trimmed off - but the aircraft isn't pitched down as with a wheel hookup = a flatter arrival... as in the pic. Safer again if you are flying trimmed with tail low - so that the highest point is the top of your propellor arc. If this strikes the lower wires - it tends to throw the wire upwards and over the tail section.

 

Safer again if you do the tail low trick and have a wire-cutter fitted as well. Safer again if you're kitted out with a bone-dome and a re-inforced roll cage round the seat. And so on.......

 

happy days,