Probable cause
The pilot's inadequate flight preparation and navigation during a training flight resulting in collision with low wires.
NTSB analysis
The pilot was practicing an engine out emergency maneuver with a student when the airplane collided with low wires. The wires came into contact with the airplane's windscreen, resulting in a large portion of the screen fractured. After the accident, the pilot stated that the power lines were barely visible even from the ground, and was surprised they had not been struck before by a crop duster or during another training flight. He said that balls or markers would have helped make the line more visible. He also offered that he could have scouted the area more thoroughly prior to the flight.
Text from the NTSB. Open the NTSB docket for CEN15CA005 for the full record.
Event
- Date
- Oct 4, 2014
- Type
- Accident
- Place
- Arlington, Texas
- Nearest airport
- Fort Worth Spinks Airport (FWS)
- Highest injury
- None
- Weather
- Visual (VMC)
- Light
- Day
Cessna 152
- N-number
- N124RP
- Category
- Airplane
- Year built
- 1978
- Damage
- Substantial
- Operating rule
- Part 91 (general aviation)
- Purpose of flight
- Personal
From the NTSB aviation accident database: N-registered aircraft, events since 2008, data through Oct 28, 2026. The file is published monthly, so the latest weeks are incomplete and recent records can change. The official source is the NTSB aviation investigation search. CheckAero is independent and not affiliated with the NTSB.