Narrative:

On short final to a private turf airport, the aircraft impacted power lines that crossed the approach end of runway 9. I executed a go around after hitting the wires, and flew a l-hand pattern back around to the same runway and landed safely. I was unfamiliar with the airport. The private airport had no published data containing runway length, obstacles, or displaced thresholds. The power lines were not buried underground nor were there any wire markers (orange balls) installed, even though the lines were on the same side of the road as the runway. There were several (approximately 10) aircraft parked on the sides and across the end of the runway next to the road in addition to approximately 40-50 people next to the runway watching the activity. The aircraft I fly has very limited forward visibility especially at low airspds, ie, takeoff and landing. This tailwheel equipped aircraft has a short span mid-wing symmetrical airfoil with zero angle of incidence. This requires a very nose high pitch attitude, as well as a high approach speed on landing. The airplane is flown onto the runway with power on, and a no flare touchdown. This, tied to the lack of forward visibility tends to cause the pilot to fly a flatter glide path to the runway than other light planes. I was concerned with the potential threat of a midair first, landing close to the approach end of the runway to prevent an overrun. Second, the possibility of people or aircraft in my target landing zone. Third, I was too concerned with people or aircraft getting in the way that I didn't think to look for other obstacles. After turning final I couldn't see the airport as the engine cowl and wings block the view from the cockpit. I executed a forward slip, left wing down, to get a better view to check for traffic/people on the runway. If I had slipped the other direction, right wing low, I would have seen the power line pole that was inset from the edge of the runway which would have likely alerted me to the presence of the power lines. I didn't see or become aware of the wires until I hit them. One hit the top cowl and was tossed out of the way enough that neither the canopy or tail hit the wire. The propeller hit a lower wire, it then dented the oil cooler fairing before separating and denting the leading edge of the left wing. It didn't affect the flying characteristics of the plane and it was still producing power/thrust so I went around. There was slightly increased vibration with increased engine RPM. No injuries or aircraft substantial damage occurred. Corrective actions -- don't land at an airport you know nothing about (obstacles). Get the wires buried when they are in such close proximity to a runway, or at least get them marked. Better identify displaced thresholds, this one had a single tire in the grass on each side of the runway (it wasn't evident to me that the full length wasn't available). I should have circled the field once or twice looking for obstacles or just not landed there at all.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: YAK55 PLT STRIKES PWR LINES ON SHORT FINAL TO A PVT ARPT.

Narrative: ON SHORT FINAL TO A PVT TURF ARPT, THE ACFT IMPACTED PWR LINES THAT CROSSED THE APCH END OF RWY 9. I EXECUTED A GAR AFTER HITTING THE WIRES, AND FLEW A L-HAND PATTERN BACK AROUND TO THE SAME RWY AND LANDED SAFELY. I WAS UNFAMILIAR WITH THE ARPT. THE PVT ARPT HAD NO PUBLISHED DATA CONTAINING RWY LENGTH, OBSTACLES, OR DISPLACED THRESHOLDS. THE PWR LINES WERE NOT BURIED UNDERGROUND NOR WERE THERE ANY WIRE MARKERS (ORANGE BALLS) INSTALLED, EVEN THOUGH THE LINES WERE ON THE SAME SIDE OF THE ROAD AS THE RWY. THERE WERE SEVERAL (APPROX 10) ACFT PARKED ON THE SIDES AND ACROSS THE END OF THE RWY NEXT TO THE ROAD IN ADDITION TO APPROX 40-50 PEOPLE NEXT TO THE RWY WATCHING THE ACTIVITY. THE ACFT I FLY HAS VERY LIMITED FORWARD VISIBILITY ESPECIALLY AT LOW AIRSPDS, IE, TKOF AND LNDG. THIS TAILWHEEL EQUIPPED ACFT HAS A SHORT SPAN MID-WING SYMMETRICAL AIRFOIL WITH ZERO ANGLE OF INCIDENCE. THIS REQUIRES A VERY NOSE HIGH PITCH ATTITUDE, AS WELL AS A HIGH APCH SPD ON LNDG. THE AIRPLANE IS FLOWN ONTO THE RWY WITH PWR ON, AND A NO FLARE TOUCHDOWN. THIS, TIED TO THE LACK OF FORWARD VISIBILITY TENDS TO CAUSE THE PLT TO FLY A FLATTER GLIDE PATH TO THE RWY THAN OTHER LIGHT PLANES. I WAS CONCERNED WITH THE POTENTIAL THREAT OF A MIDAIR FIRST, LNDG CLOSE TO THE APCH END OF THE RWY TO PREVENT AN OVERRUN. SECOND, THE POSSIBILITY OF PEOPLE OR ACFT IN MY TARGET LNDG ZONE. THIRD, I WAS TOO CONCERNED WITH PEOPLE OR ACFT GETTING IN THE WAY THAT I DIDN'T THINK TO LOOK FOR OTHER OBSTACLES. AFTER TURNING FINAL I COULDN'T SEE THE ARPT AS THE ENG COWL AND WINGS BLOCK THE VIEW FROM THE COCKPIT. I EXECUTED A FORWARD SLIP, L WING DOWN, TO GET A BETTER VIEW TO CHK FOR TFC/PEOPLE ON THE RWY. IF I HAD SLIPPED THE OTHER DIRECTION, R WING LOW, I WOULD HAVE SEEN THE PWR LINE POLE THAT WAS INSET FROM THE EDGE OF THE RWY WHICH WOULD HAVE LIKELY ALERTED ME TO THE PRESENCE OF THE PWR LINES. I DIDN'T SEE OR BECOME AWARE OF THE WIRES UNTIL I HIT THEM. ONE HIT THE TOP COWL AND WAS TOSSED OUT OF THE WAY ENOUGH THAT NEITHER THE CANOPY OR TAIL HIT THE WIRE. THE PROP HIT A LOWER WIRE, IT THEN DENTED THE OIL COOLER FAIRING BEFORE SEPARATING AND DENTING THE LEADING EDGE OF THE L WING. IT DIDN'T AFFECT THE FLYING CHARACTERISTICS OF THE PLANE AND IT WAS STILL PRODUCING PWR/THRUST SO I WENT AROUND. THERE WAS SLIGHTLY INCREASED VIBRATION WITH INCREASED ENG RPM. NO INJURIES OR ACFT SUBSTANTIAL DAMAGE OCCURRED. CORRECTIVE ACTIONS -- DON'T LAND AT AN ARPT YOU KNOW NOTHING ABOUT (OBSTACLES). GET THE WIRES BURIED WHEN THEY ARE IN SUCH CLOSE PROX TO A RWY, OR AT LEAST GET THEM MARKED. BETTER IDENT DISPLACED THRESHOLDS, THIS ONE HAD A SINGLE TIRE IN THE GRASS ON EACH SIDE OF THE RWY (IT WASN'T EVIDENT TO ME THAT THE FULL LENGTH WASN'T AVAILABLE). I SHOULD HAVE CIRCLED THE FIELD ONCE OR TWICE LOOKING FOR OBSTACLES OR JUST NOT LANDED THERE AT ALL.

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.