Just read this:

http://www.ktvz.com/news/pilot-killed-in-eastern-oregon-plane-crash/-/413192/20692986/-/13y7d7e/-/index.html

Pilot killed in Eastern Oregon plane crash

POSTED: 11:56 AM PDT June 24, 2013

ONTARIO, Ore. (AP) — Authorities in Eastern Oregon say the pilot of a small plane hit a power line and died in the crash.

The Malheur County sheriff's department says the crash happened about 11 a.m. Sunday, and the Federal Aviation Administration will conduct an investigation.

Deputy Wade Holom says there was only one person aboard.

He says the power line was about 2 miles below Owyhee Dam. The dam is on the Owyhee River south of Ontario near the Idaho border. It provides irrigation water and electricity.

Holom says that because of the federal investigation, the sheriff's office didn't plan to release more information Monday about the crash.

Uh oh, not good. I really dislike these reports where they don't release the info of those involved in the crash...more precisely, I don't like the suspense that it could be one of us

Seems to be a rash of accidents lately, there was one today just south of me in San Luis obispo...fly safe everybody!!

bart wrote:Seems to be a rash of accidents lately, there was one today just south of me in San Luis obispo...fly safe everybody!!

I saw that... a Cessna Skymaster, once again into a residential area and into a FedEx truck.

http://www.ktvb.com/news/One-dead-in-sm ... 69041.html

Not a good way to recreate with the family. I have nightmares about power lines.

Tragic! I have flown that area and those lines in that canyon are HUGE with HUGE towers and ORANGE BALLS all over them. Being in an Extra I doubt if he was exactly going low and slow. I think this is common knowledge but the line with the Orange Balls on it is very rarely all by itself. There's generally 2 or 3 at various heights stretched across. Stay safe out there guys. There is a ton of better spots to go play in Owyhee country if you want to fly low that doesn't have an obstacle for miles and miles.

Very sad! Hope it's not anybody I know.

Those power lines are actually above the dam (as far as height goes). They are pretty high up because they cross the resorvoir and up the steep canyon wall to the east.

Like Joey said. That area of the resorvoir isn't fun to play around. Too populated, too. Stay further south and better chance of not running into anything. More fun anyway to buzz through all those canyons down south.

"There is a ton of better spots to go play in Owyhee country if you want to fly low that doesn't have an obstacle for miles and miles."
You don't know that unless you have intricately reconed an area, possibly even from the ground, in the previous 24 hours. MET and RTK towers are EVERYWHERE out in the desert and many are not marked and they can go up in a matter of a day. They'll make you dead'r than fried chicken in a heart beat.
Hitting a wire marked on a sectional and marked visually with balls is basically not understandable in my book and if that can happen you definitely could hit and unmarked tower in an unknown location.
You're not ag pilots or coyote hunters, don't act like one. This was totally avoidable, senseless, and not an accident in my book.
1. Most likely not low altitude environment experienced or current.
2. Evidently lacked prior planning on location of marked obstructions OR lost spacial orientation of his position in reference to said obstruction.
3. Inferring by the aircraft type that he was most likely going far too fast for that type of environment in regards to being able to see and avoid the obstruction when, or if, he failed at being prepared with 1 and 2.
4. Possibly distracted by scenery and/or in-cockpit information and not looking where he should be (forward, 30' either side of center, scanning). You will most likely see the poles or derricks left or right of a river or canyon before you will see the wire crossing in front of you. And remember the static wires don't sag as much and will provide another higher obstruction as well as being thinner and harder to see.
Wasn't the first, won't be the last. Too bad. Be careful out there.

We were flying in Ohio when the wing walking act at the Dayton airshow crashed and killed the pilot and the wing walker. It has been a bad week for flying accidents and that hurts the opportunity to sell aviation to a new crop of pilots. When I arrived at KHEF in Virginia, there was a line of kids at one of the flight schools participating in a young eagles event. Pilots were giving rides in a Champ, an RV-4, a 177-RG and an Arrow. All of the kids came back from their flights with big smiles on their faces. We all need to generate more of that healthy enthusiasm and do our parts to improve the poor safety record of GA overall. We all need to think of risk management each time we fly and make go-no go, and in-flight decisions based on objective, not emotional criteria.

The weather round here (central WA & PNW) lately has not been great flying weather.
Possibly scud running....? Either he was unfamiliar with the area, or he was REALLY pushing it?

Lessons for our learning.... Again.

lc

Tow dead one survivor in Idaho Falls in a Comanche during the last week as well.

soaringhiggy wrote:Tow dead one survivor in Idaho Falls in a Comanche during the last week as well.

I was going to post on that...sounds like a turn around back to the airport scenario, in a twin with power problems. Lots of spaces straight ahead depending on what runway he was using, but housing has incroached over the years (if using 20)and could have accounted for him not landing straight ahead.

On a brighter subject: higgy, was that your bird I saw this AM at Blackfoot?

Nope it was not, although I did look at it last week when working there.

I plan to fly back and forth as much as possible with the new facility. Met the other S7 driver there, nice guy.

I was looking to see if there was a courtesy car there, mo gas etc. I hope it will be as often as I would like.

soaringhiggy wrote:Tow dead one survivor in Idaho Falls in a Comanche during the last week as well.

Sad deal for sure.....

lowflyin'G3 wrote:"There is a ton of better spots to go play in Owyhee country if you want to fly low that doesn't have an obstacle for miles and miles."
You don't know that unless you have intricately reconed an area, possibly even from the ground, in the previous 24 hours. MET and RTK towers are EVERYWHERE out in the desert and many are not marked and they can go up in a matter of a day. They'll make you dead'r than fried chicken in a heart beat.
Hitting a wire marked on a sectional and marked visually with balls is basically not understandable in my book and if that can happen you definitely could hit and unmarked tower in an unknown location.
You're not ag pilots or coyote hunters, don't act like one. This was totally avoidable, senseless, and not an accident in my book.
1. Most likely not low altitude environment experienced or current.
2. Evidently lacked prior planning on location of marked obstructions OR lost spacial orientation of his position in reference to said obstruction.
3. Inferring by the aircraft type that he was most likely going far too fast for that type of environment in regards to being able to see and avoid the obstruction when, or if, he failed at being prepared with 1 and 2.
4. Possibly distracted by scenery and/or in-cockpit information and not looking where he should be (forward, 30' either side of center, scanning). You will most likely see the poles or derricks left or right of a river or canyon before you will see the wire crossing in front of you. And remember the static wires don't sag as much and will provide another higher obstruction as well as being thinner and harder to see.
Wasn't the first, won't be the last. Too bad. Be careful out there.

F@&kin' A right. Thank you.

Don't screw about in those canyons. Please. All it takes is seeing one smoking hole in the ground to make a lasting impression.

My $00.02 ...

I fly floats around that area and I take my time before committing to anything low and/or below the rim. "Rushing it" is where a see a lot of pilots get into trouble, including myself. Just like surfing big waves, it is sometimes better to sit in the channel and watch before doing it yourself.