Wire Strike Avoidance

Maxed-out

Maxed-out

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Maxed-out
Anybody know where a pilot could find FAA guidance on wire strike avoidance? I'm seeing it mentioned as a special emphasis area in several of the PTSs and as a risk management item in the new private ACS, but can't find much on it. If it's important enough for the FAA to consider it as a special emphasis item, I would think that they should have at least a paragraph on it in the AFH, PHAK, or AIM. I did find a SAFO on the internet for helicopters, but nothing from the FAA in any of the handbooks.
 
Not from the FAA but if you're practicing engine outs know the field you're thinking about landing in. At a flight school I worked at we had a 152 return with the leading edge of the vertical severely damaged. Instructor said he thought it was a bird strike. Evidence said otherwise. Next morning I went to the field he mentioned and picked up the pieces of the beacon and stab cap. They had hit a power line, and if they'd been a couple feet HIGHER it would have come right through the windscreen.
 
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Norman said:
Not from the FAA but if you're practicing engine outs know the field you're thinking about landing in. At a flight school I worked at we had a 152 return with the leading edge of the vertical severely damaged. Instructor said he thought it was a bird strike. Evidence said otherwise. Next morning I went to the field he mentioned and picked up the pieces of the beacon and stab cap. They had hit a power line, and if they'd been a couple feet lower it would have come right through the windscreen.
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Had they been a couple feet lower they would have missed it, unless their vertical stab was under the aircraft.
 
Is that in the fixed wing PTS?
 
AIM 7-5-3 has some basic info on obstacle avoidance including overhead wires but really just by applying some common sense, knowing where the obstacles are and keeping your eyes open & outside of the cockpit, you should do fine.
 
Thanks for the information. My search engine missed 7-5-3, so at least that's something. I'm seeing wire strike avoidance mentioned as a special emphasis area in the following FAA publications:

Aviation Instructor's Handbook (FAA-H-8083-9A)
Recreational Pilot PTS (FAA-S-8081-3A)
Flight Instructor PTS (FAA-S-8081-6D)
Commercial Pilot Airplane PTS (FAA-S-8081-12C)
The new Private Pilot ACS (FAA-S-ACS-6)

Also in the various Helicopter PTSs.

I thought their would be at least an advisory circular on the subject, but I thought wrong. Appreciate the replies.
 
We had a local pilot a couple of months ago flying low over the lake who managed to snag one of the high tension lines strung across it. One of our other local (seaplane) pilots has been lobbying for balls on them for a while (these are lower than the next set which at least have lights on the towers). Of course, the pilot that hit them was flying a Bonanza and legitimately shouldn't have been that low. I use these lines as a landmark that I'm approaching my boat slip area.
 
As for poles, remember the safest place to cross lines is over the poles/towers. The lines will never be above them. Helicopter Flying 101. Hope this helps.
 
retpd2001 said:
As for poles, remember the safest place to cross lines is over the poles/towers. The lines will never be above them. Helicopter Flying 101. Hope this helps.
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And have a good set of wire cutters. ;)
 

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I imagine this isn't high on the FAA's radar because if you're flying low enough for wire strikes to be a problem, there's a different problem. I know we see high visibility balls placed on wires in certain places - along I-95 at Quantico comes to mind - but these are more precautionary.

The safest (and for airplanes, legal) place to cross power lines is 500' or 1000' AGL. I've see some towers at these altitudes but never a power line.
 
Just stumbled across this relatively unknown (to me) "low-altitude hazard to aviation." It's called a "MET" (meteorological evaluation tower) and has become enough of a problem to cause the NTSB to issue a safety alert (2011 and 2015) and recommendation (2013). Still no rule change.

METs can be erected quickly and without notice to the local aviation community, depending upon their location.
Currently unknown how many METs are erected in the U.S.
The FAA does not conduct an aeronautical study of any structure less than 200 feet AGL.
METs are often erected without marking or lighting.

If your interested, the links are:

http://www.ntsb.gov/safety/safety-alerts/Documents/SA_016.pdf

http://www.ntsb.gov/safety/safety-recs/RecLetters/A-13-020.pdf
 
There are some power lines that cross deep canyons going from rim to rim that are 100's of feet high. Snake River Idaho area is one place that has them. Area around 25U area has some. There are some in Arizona Colorado River area too.
 
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I often find myself observing both fields and roads as I drive my car for the power line setup. In considering engine out landing spots, I look for places where wires cross fields and roads, fences in fields, etc. I'd hate to find the perfect field for a dead stick landing only to be stopped by a couple less visible power lines. If the FAA doesn't have much on it, perhaps it would make a great blog post to do some research and present some findings. I guess I better get to work...
 
Maxed-out said:
Just stumbled across this relatively unknown (to me) "low-altitude hazard to aviation." It's called a "MET" (meteorological evaluation tower) and has become enough of a problem to cause the NTSB to issue a safety alert (2011 and 2015) and recommendation (2013). Still no rule change.

METs can be erected quickly and without notice to the local aviation community, depending upon their location.
Currently unknown how many METs are erected in the U.S.
The FAA does not conduct an aeronautical study of any structure less than 200 feet AGL.
METs are often erected without marking or lighting.

If your interested, the links are:

http://www.ntsb.gov/safety/safety-alerts/Documents/SA_016.pdf

http://www.ntsb.gov/safety/safety-recs/RecLetters/A-13-020.pdf
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The agricultural aviation industry has been lobbying for regulatory changes for a while now. There has been some legislation passed at the state level. Feds are always slow to change. They are deadly if you're operating in the lower altitudes
 
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