Primary finding
Probable cause
the pilot's inadequate preflight planning, and his failure to see-and-avoid the obstruction (inadequate visual lookout). The transmission wire was a related factor.
Investigator assessment
Analysis narrative
The pilot was spraying a field near the departure airport. On the first run, he pulled up over powerlines at the end of the field, due to a car that was passing by. During the second spray run, the airplane hit a transmission cable near the end of the field and crashed. The pilot reported that he was not aware that the cable was there until just before impact.
Source record
Factual narrative
On July 25, 1996, approximately 0930 Pacific daylight time, a Piper PA-25-235, N9624P, operated by Stevens Flying Service, hit a cable while spraying a field near Cornelius, OR. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed and no flight plan was filed. The commercial pilot, the sole occupant, was seriously injured. The 14 CFR 137 flight had departed a private landing area near Hillsboro, OR earlier in the day. FAA inspectors who went to the scene of the accident stated that the aircraft wreckage was laying near broken wires and poles on the south side of the field that the pilot had been spraying. In the pilot's accident report he stated that he was not aware that the cable was there until just before he hit it. -