Amateur-built SEAREY N346PE accident near Friday Harbor, Washington

Probable cause

The pilot’s inadequate glidepath and failure to maintain clearance from the transmission wire during a landing approach.

NTSB analysis

The pilot was landing to the south at a private airstrip. The owner of the airstrip observed the airplane on short final when it struck transmission wires that ran perpendicular to and north of the airstrip. The airplane nosed over and impacted terrain. Postimpact examination of the airplane revealed wire strike marks on the left main landing gear and the keel of the fuselage. No preimpact mechanical discrepancies were found with the airplane's airframe or engine that would have prevented normal operation. The airstrip owner stated that he was unaware of the pilot's impending visit. He said that he tells all visiting pilots to land to the north so as to land uphill and avoid the transmission wires. The airstrip owner also reported that he talked to a pilot who spoke to the accident pilot before he departed on the accident flight and who informed him of the presence of wires at the north end of the airstrip.

Text from the NTSB. Open the NTSB docket for WPR12FA385 for the full record.