Wire strike

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Slackyhacky

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I am getting ready to take my practical and oral exam and am currently studying the ACS.

Almost every Risk Management section has this "avoid wire strike"

What are they wanting us to recognize, do, or know? Is wire strike a huge problem?

What is a wire strike? Who is flying into a wire?

Isn't the answer - "don't fly into a wire. Avoid telephone lines"

I don't get it.
 
Slackyhacky said:
I am getting ready to take my practical and oral exam and am currently studying the ACS.

Almost every Risk Management section has this "avoid wire strike"

What are they wanting us to recognize, do, or know? Is wire strike a huge problem?

What is a wire strike? Who is flying into a wire?

Isn't the answer - "don't fly into a wire. Avoid telephone lines"

I don't get it.
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It's more applicable to helicopters and agplanes, but every now and then you also see some dude who decides to show off by flying low over a river, for example, and hitting a power or communication wire that spans it. It might also happen during a buzz job. All types of low flying for fun are generally a bad idea, and only helps Darwin to cull the herd.
 
I think they're saying when wire goes on strike you don't want to be around them. Crossing their strike line would label you a scab. Serious stuff. Don't be that guy. This is an example of one time that the FAA is looking at for your welfare.
 
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I'm surprised they even have it on the ACS. High tension power lines are around 150-200 ft high. You're probably not going to be that low in an airplane. If you find yourself down there, look for clues for lines such at the towers and cuts in the tree line. Obviously some have the orange balls to warn low flying aircraft. Also, with tall radio towers, fly at least the length of the tower away from it. That should keep you clear of guy wires.

It's more of a threat for RW. So much so that most are equiped with wire cutters. Wire awareness is an important aspect for flying helos. As they say in Army Aviation, "all roads have wires."
 
Velocity173 said:
I'm surprised they even have it on the ACS. High tension power lines are around 150-200 ft high. You're probably not going to be that low in an airplane. If you find yourself down there, look for clues for lines such at the towers and cuts in the tree line. Obviously some have the orange balls to warn low flying aircraft. Also, with tall radio towers, fly at least the length of the tower away from it. That should keep you clear of guy wires.

It's more of a threat for RW. So much so that most are equiped with wire cutters. Wire awareness is an important aspect for flying helos. As they say in Army Aviation, "all roads have wires."
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They are actually important to glider pilots too, since "landing out" in some random field is a common requirement for cross country flying. You can always assume if there is a house or barn near a tree or pole, there would be a wire between them. Also, most fields are bordered by wires of some kind. The slightly unnerving bit is that when you land out, your best approach might in some cases require going under the border wire(s), so you just need to plan for it. All this without any throttle to correct your approach angle, only spoilers/divebrakes/flaps and maybe a slip.
 
RotorDude said:
They are actually important to glider pilots too, since "landing out" in some random field is a common requirement for cross country flying. You can always assume if there is a house or barn near a tree or pole, there would be a wire between them. Also, most fields are bordered by wires of some kind. The slightly unnerving bit is that when you land out, your best approach might in some cases require going under the border wire(s), so you just need to plan for it. All this without any throttle to correct your approach angle, only spoilers/divebrakes/flaps and maybe a slip.
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Yep, gotta keep your head on a swivel in sailplanes as well. I miss me some sailplane flying! :)
 

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It happens.

Narrative Type: NTSB FINAL NARRATIVE (6120.4) The 5,406-hour flight instructor was demonstrating a forced landing by simulating a loss of engine power when the single-engine airplane struck unmarked power lines approximately 30 feet above the ground. The training flight was the second flight for the student, who was a military officer enrolled in a government undergraduate flight training program. There were no reported witnesses to the accident, and no distress calls were received from the pilot. A postimpact fire consumed the composite airframe. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed and there were no obstructions to visibility at the time of the accident. Flight control continuity was established, and no mechanical anomalies or overdue inspections were noted with the engine or the airframe.
 
I'm not sure that's a wire strike in the video. Looks like he stalled it trying to zoom over the wires.
 
A few years ago, there was a crazy lying out a copper cable to be connected to his 182 so he could tow it thru the high line high tension cables crossing the Columbia Gorge,The law was called and he never got it off the ground, I don't believe he is out of the loony bin yet.

The North Cascades have several power transmission lines that cross valleys well over 1000' off the valley floor.
 
Can be more than a couple of hundred feet AGL when spanning a distance between mountain ridges - towers are on the ridge tops.
 
i think one of the correct answers he will be looking for is your understanding and use of the topo and obstruction info on the back of your current sectional.
 
Wire strikes do things like this....if you're lucky:

wire1.JPG

wire3.JPG

wire2.JPG

Ron Wanttaja
 
I know FOUR pilots that have hit wires. All have survived. The details I only know of the last one where the guy was flying low over the lake. The seaplane pilots (and for me, a boater because these lines mark where the entrance to my cove is) know about a second (lower) set of high tension lines that aren't as prominently marked. My seabee owner neighbor has been trying to get Duke to at least put balls on them where they cross over the lake.
 
I agree with what has been said above. The biggest risk for me is when picking a location for a forced landing. Depending on your altitude you may not be able to see wires initially, although you may be able to see evidence of them. Paths cut through trees with no roads below are a great example. While you're not going to be landing among the trees, you can use that information to extrapolate out potential wire locations.

Then, as you continue to descend watching for further evidence that the field is clear, especially of wires, and modifying the game plan if needed.
 
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