Narrative:

An off course descent inside the OM at night just after clearing clouds did not allow the terrain or obstructions to be seen until too late to climb. The sudden appearance of the wires at eye level left only one choice, flying below them. In doing so, the top of the rudder skimmed the wires and was damaged. An uneventful landing was made from a straight-in final approach with no apparent loss of control. There was no damage to the high tension wires or to any object on the ground. This was an instructional flight with the commercial student being IFR rated but not current. He was scheduled to take his commercial check ride the following week. This was the return leg of an IFR 'round-robin' x-country flight to sacramento, with the idea of combining night currency and instrument practice. The student was sloppy in his flying, over-controling in zigzaging back and forth across the localizer course, needing constant reminders to keep wings level, make small corrections, turn left or right toward the localizer, watch heading, altitude, and in general stay ahead of the airplane. I figured he was tired, made a mental note that he needed to go 'back to basics.' we were given a 30 degree intercept heading to the final approach course, told to maintain 2000' until established and cleared for the lda. We entered cloud at that point and I told my student that he could raise his hood as we were actual. I kept him from descending until we were established and was actively on the controls while in cloud, keeping wings level and helping him get established on the course. We were about 2 mi from the FAF when he was able to start descending and correcting back to the left, just as approach was discontinuing radar services and giving us frequency change. We were VFR at 1500' and I began to search for the airport as we reported the cloud base to approach before switching to advisory. Several things happened in quick succession. We xed the OM and I noted an almost full deflection to the right telling my student to return to the right, pointing at the localizer needle. At the first beep of the marker, the student had put the gear down, reduced power and accelerated a descent to the left, the wrong way. I verbally corrected him several times while I was looking for the airport, repeating instructions to add power, and start a right climbing turn back to the course as I noted we were indicating 800'. Just as I grabbed the controls myself we saw the wires and had to duck under. Contributing factors to my very delayed action were: the late hour when we were probably both somewhat tired although had not realized it; the fact that all the navigational post lights were out so we had to use flashlights, which made scanning instruments as well as refocussing outside for terrain more laborious; the fact that I was too complacent, as he was a good commercial student, having decided he needed review. I believe he was disoriented and turned left when he thought he was turning right. We were farther off course than I realized at the time. I almost called for a map and this is what we should have done.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: SMA ON TRAINIG FLT WITH LDA APCH CONTACTS WIRE. RUDDER DAMAGE.

Narrative: AN OFF COURSE DSNT INSIDE THE OM AT NIGHT JUST AFTER CLRING CLOUDS DID NOT ALLOW THE TERRAIN OR OBSTRUCTIONS TO BE SEEN UNTIL TOO LATE TO CLB. THE SUDDEN APPEARANCE OF THE WIRES AT EYE LEVEL LEFT ONLY ONE CHOICE, FLYING BELOW THEM. IN DOING SO, THE TOP OF THE RUDDER SKIMMED THE WIRES AND WAS DAMAGED. AN UNEVENTFUL LNDG WAS MADE FROM A STRAIGHT-IN FINAL APCH WITH NO APPARENT LOSS OF CTL. THERE WAS NO DAMAGE TO THE HIGH TENSION WIRES OR TO ANY OBJECT ON THE GND. THIS WAS AN INSTRUCTIONAL FLT WITH THE COMMERCIAL STUDENT BEING IFR RATED BUT NOT CURRENT. HE WAS SCHEDULED TO TAKE HIS COMMERCIAL CHK RIDE THE FOLLOWING WK. THIS WAS THE RETURN LEG OF AN IFR 'ROUND-ROBIN' X-COUNTRY FLT TO SACRAMENTO, WITH THE IDEA OF COMBINING NIGHT CURRENCY AND INSTRUMENT PRACTICE. THE STUDENT WAS SLOPPY IN HIS FLYING, OVER-CTLING IN ZIGZAGING BACK AND FORTH ACROSS THE LOC COURSE, NEEDING CONSTANT REMINDERS TO KEEP WINGS LEVEL, MAKE SMALL CORRECTIONS, TURN L OR R TOWARD THE LOC, WATCH HDG, ALT, AND IN GENERAL STAY AHEAD OF THE AIRPLANE. I FIGURED HE WAS TIRED, MADE A MENTAL NOTE THAT HE NEEDED TO GO 'BACK TO BASICS.' WE WERE GIVEN A 30 DEG INTERCEPT HDG TO THE FINAL APCH COURSE, TOLD TO MAINTAIN 2000' UNTIL ESTABLISHED AND CLRED FOR THE LDA. WE ENTERED CLOUD AT THAT POINT AND I TOLD MY STUDENT THAT HE COULD RAISE HIS HOOD AS WE WERE ACTUAL. I KEPT HIM FROM DSNDING UNTIL WE WERE ESTABLISHED AND WAS ACTIVELY ON THE CTLS WHILE IN CLOUD, KEEPING WINGS LEVEL AND HELPING HIM GET ESTABLISHED ON THE COURSE. WE WERE ABOUT 2 MI FROM THE FAF WHEN HE WAS ABLE TO START DSNDING AND CORRECTING BACK TO THE L, JUST AS APCH WAS DISCONTINUING RADAR SVCS AND GIVING US FREQ CHANGE. WE WERE VFR AT 1500' AND I BEGAN TO SEARCH FOR THE ARPT AS WE RPTED THE CLOUD BASE TO APCH BEFORE SWITCHING TO ADVISORY. SEVERAL THINGS HAPPENED IN QUICK SUCCESSION. WE XED THE OM AND I NOTED AN ALMOST FULL DEFLECTION TO THE R TELLING MY STUDENT TO RETURN TO THE R, POINTING AT THE LOC NEEDLE. AT THE FIRST BEEP OF THE MARKER, THE STUDENT HAD PUT THE GEAR DOWN, REDUCED PWR AND ACCELERATED A DSNT TO THE L, THE WRONG WAY. I VERBALLY CORRECTED HIM SEVERAL TIMES WHILE I WAS LOOKING FOR THE ARPT, REPEATING INSTRUCTIONS TO ADD PWR, AND START A R CLBING TURN BACK TO THE COURSE AS I NOTED WE WERE INDICATING 800'. JUST AS I GRABBED THE CTLS MYSELF WE SAW THE WIRES AND HAD TO DUCK UNDER. CONTRIBUTING FACTORS TO MY VERY DELAYED ACTION WERE: THE LATE HR WHEN WE WERE PROBABLY BOTH SOMEWHAT TIRED ALTHOUGH HAD NOT REALIZED IT; THE FACT THAT ALL THE NAVIGATIONAL POST LIGHTS WERE OUT SO WE HAD TO USE FLASHLIGHTS, WHICH MADE SCANNING INSTRUMENTS AS WELL AS REFOCUSSING OUTSIDE FOR TERRAIN MORE LABORIOUS; THE FACT THAT I WAS TOO COMPLACENT, AS HE WAS A GOOD COMMERCIAL STUDENT, HAVING DECIDED HE NEEDED REVIEW. I BELIEVE HE WAS DISORIENTED AND TURNED L WHEN HE THOUGHT HE WAS TURNING R. WE WERE FARTHER OFF COURSE THAN I REALIZED AT THE TIME. I ALMOST CALLED FOR A MAP AND THIS IS WHAT WE SHOULD HAVE DONE.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of July 2007 and automatically converted to unabbreviated mixed upper/lowercase text. This report is for informational purposes with no guarantee of accuracy. See NASA's ASRS site for official report.