Additional participating entity:
Federal Aviation Administration / Flight Standards District Office; Des Plaines, Illinois
Aviation Accident Final Report - National Transportation Safety Board: https://app.ntsb.gov/pdf
Investigation Docket National Transportation Safety Board: https://dms.ntsb.gov/pubdms
http://registry.faa.gov/N746LM
Location: Grand Detour, IL
Accident Number: CEN18LA082
Date & Time: 01/20/2018, 1233 CST
Registration: N746LM
Aircraft: MATHENY LARRY E CHRISTAVIA MK 1
Aircraft Damage: Substantial
Defining Event: Controlled flight into terr/obj (CFIT)
Injuries: 2 Serious
Flight Conducted Under: Part 91: General Aviation - Personal
Analysis
The private pilot was flying an experimental airplane at a low altitude along a river when the airplane struck a power line suspended 30 ft above the river, causing the airplane to cartwheel. The power line wrapped around the airplane, and the airplane descended straight down, impacting the ice-covered river.
A postaccident examination of the airplane showed that the fuselage forward of the instrument panel, the engine cowling, and the engine were bent upward about 30°. The forward fuel tank between the cabin and the engine had broken open, and the smell of fuel was apparent. The airplane's propeller showed indications that the engine was producing high power when the airplane struck the power line. Flight control continuity was confirmed. Examination of the engine and other airplane systems showed no preimpact anomalies. Thus, the accident likely occurred because the pilot did not see the power line suspended across the river while he was flying close to the river surface.
Probable Cause and Findings
The National Transportation Safety Board determines the probable cause(s) of this accident to be:
The pilot's failure to see and avoid the power line. Contributing to the accident was the pilot's intentional flight at low altitude.
Findings
Aircraft
Altitude - Not attained/maintained (Factor)
Personnel issues
Identification/recognition - Pilot (Cause)
Decision making/judgment - Pilot (Factor)
Incorrect action selection - Pilot (Factor)
Environmental issues
Wire - Awareness of condition (Cause)
Wire - Effect on operation (Cause)
Factual Information
On January 20, 2018, about 1233 central standard time, a Matheny Christavia Mk1 homebuilt airplane, N746LM, struck a power line and impacted on an ice-covered river during low-altitude flight near Grand Detour, Illinois. The pilot and pilot-rated passenger were seriously injured, and the airplane was substantially damaged. The airplane was owned and operated by the pilot as a 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal flight. Day visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and a flight plan had not been filed for the local flight, which had departed from the Poplar Grove Airport (C77), Poplar Grove, Illinois.
Witnesses observed the airplane flying low over the Rock River between 1120 and the time of the accident. One witness who lived near Machesney Park, Illinois, saw the airplane flying 100 ft. above the river and within 400 to 500 ft. above houses. Another witness who lived along the back channel of the river near Grand Detour said the airplane went by her house so close that she could see the pilot in the airplane. She estimated the airplane was 15 ft. above the river. Moments later, the airplane struck a power line that ran from the river bank across to an island in the river. The airplane subsequently cartwheeled in the air wrapping the power line around it, and then dove straight down, impacting on the ice-covered river.
An examination of the airplane showed a power line wire wrapped around the leading and trailing edges of both wings at the wing roots, and around the aft cabin. The left aft cabin window was broken inward and showed wire marks on the Plexiglas. The right main landing gear was broken inward and under the airplane's cabin. Wire marks were observed on the tire and gear strut. The front windscreen was broken out and fragmented, and the forward fuselage at the instrument panel, the engine cowling, and the engine were bent upward 30°. The forward fuel tank between the cabin and the engine was broken open and the smell of AVGAS was prevalent. The airplane's wood propeller was broken aft and splintered circumferentially. The outboard 5 ft. of the airplane's left wing was broken aft and downward. Wire marks were observed along the top wing skin starting at the fracture and running aft and outboard toward the wing tip and wing trailing edge. Flight control continuity was confirmed. An examination of the engine and other airplane systems showed no preimpact anomalies.
According to Commonwealth Edison, the electricity provider to Grand Detour, the power line height above the river where the airplane came in contact with it was about 30 ft.
A NTSB Form 6120.1, Pilot/Operator Aircraft Accident/Incident Report form was sent to the pilot to complete. The pilot never returned the filled-out form, despite several attempts on the part of the NTSB and the Federal Aviation Administration to have him do so.
History of Flight
Maneuvering
Controlled flight into terr/obj (CFIT) (Defining event)
Certificate: Private
Age: 50, Male
Airplane Rating(s): Single-engine Land
Seat Occupied: Front
Other Aircraft Rating(s): None
Restraint Used: Unknown
Instrument Rating(s): None
Second Pilot Present: Yes
Instructor Rating(s): None
Toxicology Performed: No
Medical Certification: Unknown Unknown
Last FAA Medical Exam:
Occupational Pilot: No
Last Flight Review or Equivalent:
Flight Time: (Estimated) 850 hours (Total, all aircraft), 2 hours (Total, this make and model)
Aircraft and Owner/Operator Information
Aircraft Manufacturer: MATHENY LARRY E
Registration: N746LM
Model/Series: CHRISTAVIA MK 1 NO SERIES
Aircraft Category: Airplane
Year of Manufacture: 2009
Amateur Built: Yes
Airworthiness Certificate: Experimental
Serial Number: 015
Landing Gear Type: Tailwheel
Seats: 2
Date/Type of Last Inspection:
Certified Max Gross Wt.:
Time Since Last Inspection:
Engines: 1 Reciprocating
Airframe Total Time:
Engine Manufacturer: CONT MOTOR
ELT:
Engine Model/Series: O-200
Registered Owner: On file
Rated Power: 100 hp
Operator: On file
Operating Certificate(s) Held: None
Meteorological Information and Flight Plan
Conditions at Accident Site: Visual Conditions
Condition of Light: Day
Observation Facility, Elevation: RFD, 742 ft msl
Observation Time: 1154 CST
Distance from Accident Site: 23 Nautical Miles
Direction from Accident Site: 35°
Lowest Cloud Condition:
Temperature/Dew Point: 4°C / -1°C
Lowest Ceiling: Broken / 23000 ft agl
Visibility: 10 Miles
Wind Speed/Gusts, Direction: 5 knots, 180°
Visibility (RVR):
Altimeter Setting: 29.93 inches Hg
Visibility (RVV):
Precipitation and Obscuration:
Departure Point: POPLAR GROVE, IL (C77)
Type of Flight Plan Filed: None
Destination: POPLAR GROVE, IL (C77)
Type of Clearance: None
Departure Time:
Type of Airspace: Class G
Wreckage and Impact Information
Crew Injuries: 1 Serious
Aircraft Damage: Substantial
Passenger Injuries: 1 Serious
Aircraft Fire: None
Ground Injuries: N/A
Aircraft Explosion: None
Total Injuries: 2 Serious
Latitude, Longitude: 41.895000, -89.411389 (est)
Location: Grand Detour, IL
Accident Number: CEN18LA082
Date & Time: 01/20/2018, 1233 CST
Registration: N746LM
Aircraft: MATHENY LARRY E CHRISTAVIA MK 1
Injuries: 2 Serious
Flight Conducted Under: Part 91: General Aviation - Personal
On January 20, 2018, about 1233 central standard time, a Matheny Christavia Mk1 homebuilt airplane, N746LM, struck a power line and an ice-covered river during low-altitude flight near Grand Detour, Illinois. The pilot and pilot-rated passenger were seriously injured, and the airplane was substantially damaged. The airplane was owned and operated by the pilot as a 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal flight. Day visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and a flight plan had not been filed for the local flight which had departed from the Chicago/Rockford International Airport (RFD) Rockford, Illinois.
The airplane was observed flying low along a back channel of the Rock River, south of Grand Detour. One witness who lived along the back channel said the airplane went by her house so close that she could see the pilot in the airplane. She estimated the airplane was 15 ft. above the river. Moments later, the airplane struck a power line that crossed the river. The airplane subsequently cartwheeled, and dove straight down, impacting on the ice-covered river.
An examination of the airplane showed a power line wire wrapped around both wings. The airplane's wood propeller was broken and splintered circumferentially. The forward fuel tank between the cabin and the engine was broken open. The airplane was retained for further examination.
Aircraft and Owner/Operator Information
Aircraft Manufacturer: MATHENY LARRY E
Registration: N746LM
Model/Series: CHRISTAVIA MK 1 NO SERIES
Aircraft Category: Airplane
Amateur Built: Yes
Operator: On file
Operating Certificate(s) Held: None
Meteorological Information and Flight Plan
Conditions at Accident Site: Visual Conditions
Condition of Light: Day
Observation Facility, Elevation: RFD
Observation Time: 1154 CST
Distance from Accident Site:
Temperature/Dew Point: 4°C / -1°C
Lowest Cloud Condition:
Wind Speed/Gusts, Direction: 5 knots, 180°
Lowest Ceiling: Broken / 23000 ft agl
Visibility: 10 Miles
Altimeter Setting: 29.93 inches Hg
Type of Flight Plan Filed: None
Departure Point: CHICAGO/ROCKFORD, IL (RFD)
Destination: CHICAGO/ROCKFORD, IL (RFD)
Wreckage and Impact Information
Crew Injuries: 1 Serious
Aircraft Damage: Substantial
Passenger Injuries: 1 Serious
Aircraft Fire: None
Ground Injuries: N/A
Aircraft Explosion: None
Total Injuries: 2 Serious
Latitude, Longitude: 41.895000, -89.411389 (est)
GRAND DETOUR, Ill (KWQC)- UPDATE: Illinois State Police Troopers responded to a plane crash Saturday afternoon around 12:30.
Police say two people were flying when their plane came to rest on top of the ice on the Rock River near Grand Detour, Illinois.
The plane did hit power lines, one person lost power.
The pilot and passenger, David R. Manske and Jamie Nadowski, both from Machesney Park, IL were taken to an area hospital .
The plane was recovered from the ice and has been stored during an FAA investigation.
Police say various local, county, state and federal agencies responded.
Illinois State Police say it happened around 12:50 Saturday Afternoon.
The plane was occupied by the pilot and one passenger according to ISP. They were transported to the hospital with non life-threatening injuries.
The FAA is now investigating.
Story and photo ➤ http://www.kwqc.com
GRAND DETOUR – A handful of local residents were outdoors taking advantage of the springlike weather Saturday afternoon when their chores were interrupted by a plane crash.
Illinois State Police responded to a call at about 12:50 p.m. that a small plane had landed or crashed in the Rock River near Grand Detour.
The pilot, David R. Manske, and his passenger, Jamie K. Nadowski, 60, both of Machesney Park, were taken to a hospital, but luckily escaped serious injury. No information on their flight plan was available Sunday.
Jim Ross was working in his garage just north of the crash site when he heard the plane fly over his home around 12:40 p.m.
“I was in the garage and I heard a plane flying by. Then there was a big noise – and silence,” Ross said. “Then a neighbor came by and said a plane was on the ice and to call 911. He had heard it too and drove over and saw it on the ice.”
Ross walked south a few yards where he saw the pilot exit the plane and walk around a bit.
Kelly Snyder, who lives just a house down from Ross, and almost directly across from where the plane came to rest, also heard a loud bang, but thought it was just a vehicle backfiring.
“I heard a pop, pop and I thought it was just a Jeep or truck backfiring. I went outside a few minutes later and started playing with our our dogs and tossing them balls down the hill,” Snyder said. “When I walked down our hill to get one of the balls I saw the plane and at first I was, ‘Oh no, a plane crashed,’ and my first thought was that if it started to sink it was pretty shallow there.
Snyder said she then saw the pilot.
“I yelled and asked if he was alright and he waved his arms," she said.
Snyder’s son Dax, 12, was inside his family’s house and also heard a “snapping” noise.
“I think that was when they hit the power wire,” he said. “It looked like the pilot was trying to get the lady out.”
Ross watched as emergency responders wearing rubber suits dragged a rubber raft out to the plane to pick up the pilot and his passenger.
The plane had become tangled in a power line during the crash and ComEd workers had to cut power to a nearby home while they helped fire personnel to untangle the power line from the plane.
After Manske and Nadowski were rescued, police and workers from Maggio Truck Center in Rockford were left with the task of figuring out how to get an 800-pound plane off the river.
Using two tow trucks and a Fox Lake Fire Protection District’s Quad 2 Ice and Water Rescue Airboat, responders attached a winch line to the plane and slowly pulled it to the west shore and eventually up Snyder’s boat launch driveway and onto a flatbed tow truck.
That process, watched by about 20 people, ended around 8 p.m.
“I’m just glad they’re going to be OK,” Kelly Snyder said.
Investigators are still trying to determine whether the plane was having mechanical issues or hitting the power line caused it to go down. The Federal Aviation Administration has been brought into the investigation.
Story and photo ➤ http://www.saukvalley.com
DIXON (WREX) - UPDATE: We now know the names of the two people involved in a plane crash in Grand Detour, Illinois on Saturday.
Illinois State Police say 50-year-old David Manske and 60-year-old Jamie Nadowski were both injured in the crash.
Both Manske and Nadowski are from Machesney park.
Police say they are being treated at a local hospital for non-life threatening injuries.
The crash happened around 12:30 p.m.
Police say the aircraft struck some power lines before coming to rest on the Rock River.
A small plane went down into the Rock River in Grand Detour, Illinois, on Saturday.
Illinois State Police say there were two people, a pilot and passenger, in the plane when it either landed or crashed into the river.
Police say the two victims were taken to a local hospital where they are being treated for non-life threatening injuries.
Grand Detour is a small town just outside of Dixon, Illinois.
Police say the FAA has been notified of this crash and the incident is under investigation.
Story and photo ➤ http://www.wkow.com
OGLE COUNTY - UPDATE: (7:00 p.m.) Illinois State Police say a Christavia Mk I plane crashed in the Rock River at around 12:30 p.m. in Grand Detour, Ogle County after hitting a power line.
Two people were inside the Christavia Mk I. One of them was walking on the ice when emergency crews got there, but they told him to immediately get back inside until rescue crews could get to him.
"One of the victims was out of the Christavia Mk I but we had them get back into the plane due to the fact it was on the ice," said Dixon Rural Fire Chief Sid Aurand. "They were mobile, they were conscious, but we did go out, 6 members of our department took a Fortuna which is an inflatable boat, walked out across the ice and retrieved the two victims from the plane," he added.
The victims were taken to a local hospital. Their injuries are not considered serious. The Christavia Mk I received minor damage. Investigators are not sure if hitting the power line is what caused the crash, or if the Christavia Mk I was having other issues.
Story and video ➤ http://www.mystateline.com
Details are sparse at the moment, but, Dixon Rural Fire Captain Sid Aurand says his department received a call of a plane crash near Grand Detour about 12:30 Saturday afternoon.
When they arrived, they found the small plane had crashed on the ice of the Rock River.
River Rescue Crews with a small boat was able to walk across the frozen river and bring in the two occupants of the plane. They were both taken to KSB Hospital in Dixon with what is believed to have been non-life threatening injuries.
The cause of the crash is not known at this time and the Federal Aviation Authority was on their way to begin their investigation.
ComEd repair crews were also on scene as the plane did hit a power line that extended across the river. It is not known if this caused the accident or if the line was snapped as the plane went down.
Also assisting at the crash site were deputies of the Ogle County Sheriff’s Department.
Story and photo ➤ http://www.am1460wixn.com
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