FROM THE ARCHIVES | The Terrible Truth About Wire Strikes (1995)

Pulled from the AOPA Air Safety Institute archives, this VHS provides great tips for seeing and avoiding towers and wires which are still relevant today.
Original Press Release from 1995:
ASF Produces New Training Video on Avoiding Wire Strikes

The AOPA Air Safety Foundation has produced a new video to teach pilots how to avoid wire strikes. The Terrible Truth about Wire Strikes debunks many misconceptions about these accidents.

"Most pilots assume wire strikes happen on 'scuddy' days or during unauthorized buzzing," said John Steuernagle, ASF's director of program development. "But during some 90 percent of wire strike accidents, reported visibility was three miles or better. Nearly 85 percent of strikes occurred with ceilings higher than 1,000 feet."

Steuernagle said the majority of accidents involve experienced pilots operating legally. Fixed-wing aircraft were involved in four times as many wire strikes as helicopters.

An average of 115 general aviation wire strikes are reported each year, but wire strikes are known to be under-reported: Only an estimated 10 percent of strikes are reported. Dangling wires and interrupted service are mute evidence that many more aircraft hit wires but are able to continue flying.

Pilots can't expect aeronautical charts to alert them to wires. Although 70 percent of wire strikes occur below 100 feet agl, charts don't show lines built less than 200 feet above the surface.

The Terrible Truth about Wire Strikes was developed in cooperation with the California Wire Strike Prevention Working Group, a non-profit committee of aviation and utility company interests from California and around the nation.

Other "From the Archives" episodes:

[FlyingRagilein]

I really like the idea of pulling old VHS tapes and putting them on YT.

[calvinnickel]

I remember reading an aviation safety letter years ago about this float plane pilot who was asked to fly an owner to his lakeside cottage. After they landed.. the owner—who normally went by car—mentioned to the pilot that he always wondered whether a plane would fly over the wires or under them when landing.

WIRES??)_

[aircraftlinemtcliving]

Now I know what wires are actually used for. This is very educational. Always thought they were for squirrels and places for birds to hang out. Had no idea the voices and that electrical stuff he talks of went through them!

[SWIFTO_SCYTHE]

I am not even a pilot and I watch this channel for years because so interesting and educational

[gusbisbal]

I don't know why this was npt brought up but the reason fixed wing aircraft have more strikes recorded against them is because there is something like 1000x more fixed wing than rotary aircraft.

[PacoOtis]

Thanks for the video! I'm a retired helicopter instructor pilot and taught low level navigation and wire avoidance for many years. You might want to mention that the wires on the very top of the high power lines are much smaller and are very difficult to spot as ones attention is diverted to the large wires. The smaller wires are to dissipate lightening strikes and carry no voltage. There have been a few moments when we went to the control stops to avoid wires and I hope this does not happen to anyone else! Best of luck and thanks for saving lives.

[timmack]

I flew when I was younger, but after my kids were born, a busy life left little time for flying. Now nearly 30 years have passed in the shuttering blink of an eye.

[oldmech]

I hit a phone line on takeoff in a float plane many years ago. Lost a little power, bad timing. Damn plane just stopped midair when I hit the cable. Landed on a car. The floats took the impact. Just opened the door and stepped out. The bar felt good that night.

[goneflying]

When it comes to wire strikes, there is an old phrase that my instructor taught me... Stay high, and you won't die!!

[geoffreybradford]

These were so well made, that they(I mean ABC Wide World of Flying series, and the like) don't come across as dated as I thought they would. But the typical camera work and editing of the time; with the cut to profile view as narrator turns toward the camera to make the next point, does make me smile. I'll bet many people assumed that collision with power lines would mean death by electrocution even if the airmen would have survived the impact itself. But not if they didn't become a path to ground. If anyone ever did become the path to ground when tangling with a 500kv power line in their plane, their friends and family would at least be able to say that they didn't suffer.

[jenbill]

I was watching a crop duster here in California Central Valley spraying crops at night avoiding high voltage lines and some trees had to be the most bad ass thing ever witnessed.

[MrJeffcoley]

A sergeant I knew in the Marines told me about an incident that occurred during an annual combined arms exercise at Camp Pendleton in California. The infantry was briefed that there were no friendly aircraft. If a plane or helicopter is sighted conduct immediate action for attack from the air, which means fire at it with every weapon. The idea is even though small arms fire is unlikely to bring down a plane, pilots don't like being shot at and the wall of lead will make him keep his distance. Of course, this was an exercise and everybody was firing blanks.

Sure enough, an OV-10 Bronco (small fixed wing observation plane) flew low over the column. All the grunts opened up, blazing away when the plane suddenly erupted into a fireball. "CEASE FIRE, CEASE FIRE!" The Marines ran to the crash site, but there were no survivors. A helmet on the ground still contained the head of the pilot.

Investigation revealed the OV-10 was flying below minimum altitude and struck high tension wires. But until that finding was announced the Marines were all wondering who had live ammo and shot down the plane!

[ichhasseamerika]

I imagine these vids save soooo many lives. Bless u guys.

[WilliamRWarrenJr]

Poor Albert Mooney ... He never *did* get the hang of putting the vertical stab on right-way-forward.

[MeganMcIntosh]

I love this video! Not only interesting content, but also the VHS feel. Would be cool to see more of these from time to time.

[RoamingAdhocrat]

Apart from the content, the filmography here is nostalgic - very VHS-era. Would be fun to see modern video filmed and edited with modern digital tools but with the aesthetics of video like this.

[paulaswaim]

I'm not a pilot and I have no interest in flying; however, this channel is extremely educational and enjoyable. Thank you for uploading these programs.

[GiddeonFox]

I love old VHS training videos, please upload more!

[RayForrester]

This is great. I hope you find some more from the archives.

[Bill_Woo]

Music industry legend Bill Graham died in a helicopter tower strike, darkness, poor visibility/rain, as the pilot ran VFR parallel to a highway (1991).
Collateral damage: 23, 000 homes lost power. Aircraft totaled. Highway closed for days. Aircraft was welded to the tower. Altitude approx. 200 feet; tower 223 feet. Pilot: 4, 500 hours, including F.I. and commercial rating.
Tower was charted - height and location.