NTSB CAROL · Event
Event DEN89LA170
Aircraft involved
Probable cause & findings
INADEQUATE VISUAL LOOKOUT BY THE PILOT (FAILED TO SEE & AVOID) WHICH RESULTED IN HIS FAILURE TO MAINTAIN CLEARANCE FROM THE OBSTRUCTION. CONTRIBUTING FACTORS WERE: THE UNMARKED GUY WIRE & THE PILOT'S LACK OF VISUAL CUES (VISUAL PERCEPTION).
Factual narrative
AS THE PILOT WAS MAKING A SWATH RUN NEAR A MAJOR POWER LINE, THE ACFT'S RIGHT WING HIT A GUY WIRE THAT WAS ANCHORED ABOUT 95 FT TO THE SIDE OF THE POWER LINE. THE GUY WIRE SEVERED THE RIGHT WING & THE ACFT CRASHED. THE PLT RPRTD THAT IF THE UNMARKED GUY WIRE HAD BEEN MORE VISIBLE, THE ACDNT WOULD NOT HAVE OCCURRED. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database (Pre-2008 Archive) Retrieved: 2026-02-12
Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file
NTSB_1989_DEN89LA170.txt.
Findings + structured fields enriched from FAA avall.mdb.
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