PA25 collided with power lines when flying low in foothills.

Attributes
ACN	786535
Time
Date	200805
Local Time Of Day	1201 To 1800
Place
Locale Reference	airport : zzz.airport
State Reference	US
Altitude	agl single value : 100
Environment
Flight Conditions	VMC
Light	Daylight
Aircraft 1
Operator	Other
Make Model Name	PA-25 Pawnee
Operating Under FAR Part	Part 91
Flight Phase	cruise : level
Flight Plan	None
Person 1
Affiliation	Other
Function	flight crew : single pilot
Qualification	pilot : atp
Experience	flight time last 90 days : 80 flight time total : 6000 flight time type : 500
ASRS Report	786535
Events
Anomaly	inflight encounter other
Independent Detector	other flight crewa other controllera
Resolutory Action	none taken : detected after the fact
Supplementary
Problem Areas	Flight Crew Human Performance
Primary Problem	Flight Crew Human Performance

Narrative:

I was returning from towing a glider when I collided with power lines. I was flying low over the foothills. I saw the transmission lines coming down the hills and chose to cross over them at a point where the power lines appeared to dip below the hilltops. As I came across the top of the hill prior to crossing the lines; it appeared that I was well above the power lines as they seemed to be below the top of the hill at that point. It seems the lower lines hung low and curved downward as they crossed a long distance between the towers; but the upper lines; which were not visible to me; did not curve downward as much and were much higher than the lower ones. I collided with an upper line. I was not aware that the upper lines between the towers were so much more difficult to see than the lower lines. There were no marker balls on the upper lines in that area. It is a sparsely populated area and seemed safe for flying low.

Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: PA25 COLLIDED WITH POWER LINES WHEN FLYING LOW IN FOOTHILLS.

Narrative: I WAS RETURNING FROM TOWING A GLIDER WHEN I COLLIDED WITH PWR LINES. I WAS FLYING LOW OVER THE FOOTHILLS. I SAW THE TRANSMISSION LINES COMING DOWN THE HILLS AND CHOSE TO CROSS OVER THEM AT A POINT WHERE THE PWR LINES APPEARED TO DIP BELOW THE HILLTOPS. AS I CAME ACROSS THE TOP OF THE HILL PRIOR TO XING THE LINES; IT APPEARED THAT I WAS WELL ABOVE THE PWR LINES AS THEY SEEMED TO BE BELOW THE TOP OF THE HILL AT THAT POINT. IT SEEMS THE LOWER LINES HUNG LOW AND CURVED DOWNWARD AS THEY CROSSED A LONG DISTANCE BTWN THE TWRS; BUT THE UPPER LINES; WHICH WERE NOT VISIBLE TO ME; DID NOT CURVE DOWNWARD AS MUCH AND WERE MUCH HIGHER THAN THE LOWER ONES. I COLLIDED WITH AN UPPER LINE. I WAS NOT AWARE THAT THE UPPER LINES BTWN THE TWRS WERE SO MUCH MORE DIFFICULT TO SEE THAN THE LOWER LINES. THERE WERE NO MARKER BALLS ON THE UPPER LINES IN THAT AREA. IT IS A SPARSELY POPULATED AREA AND SEEMED SAFE FOR FLYING LOW.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of May 2009 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.