Ultralight Crashes into Power Lines!

[@indyraven1]

Wow, the pilot was so lucky to still had a flyable aircraft after hitting the lines. Fantastic job flying after the hit, way to stay cool and in control.

[@MyMac247]

It's not about the Pilot not panicking. It's what was he doing there in the first place ?

[@YouLoveMrFriendly]

Yeah, this video needs to be a part of every ultralight training course from now on.

[@LarrySMednick]

Yes and this one as well. kzbin.info/www/bejne/fWiYk6dnnLFrfKM

[@stuartstravels1640]

I flew a flexwing for a number of years, and frequently flew in and out of farm strips. This pilot should have walked up and down this field many times, and identified a clear take off and landing run that was clear of any wires!. I would always fly around a field at least 3 times looking for poles and cables before even attempting a landing. This guy was simply lucky this time!.

[@daflyinhawaiian2]

I have been around aviation since joining the USAF in 1979. My question is why is he flying at powerline levels?

[@LarrySMednick]

It’s legal to do in helis and this type of aircraft. It is amazing flying low like this, but you must know your environment. And just because you can, doesn’t necessarily mean you should.

[@SimonAmazingClarke]

Very lucky, very well controlled after the impact. Also shows how strong these aircraft are.

[@BrianPhillipsRC]

AMAZING! Glad this was caught on film, and very glad the pilot and MOST of the aircraft was fine!!!

[@dianelarson7886]

Wow! Incredible footage and learning experience!! Thanks for sharing!

[@jameswarren423]

First of all, why was the pilot flying so low and so close to powerlines in the first place not too bright on the pilots part😵‍💫

[@Cowdog1]

I think that was an Air Creation trike. I can't believe that the wires didn't just shred that aircraft! Good for him for keeping calm. Bad for not wondering why he was flying between telephone poles. Cheers!

[@huffpappy]

Holy crap! That was close.

[@markbosher542]

Lucky or what! I think it was probably a phone line he hit (not as strong as a power cable) or he would be dead. Also looks like a self taught Darwin pilot too. 🤯

[@LarrySMednick]

It was an aluminum line. I am told ther nine different types of lines, and only one of those would have broke like it did. Very very very lucky.

[@alanaldpal950]

I Don t know how many of this cats 9 lives he used here, but it was more than one

[@benanderson5251]

Better man than me, I would have put that down on the road

[@markgiles8527]

Why is he flying here in the first place. So many dangers.

[@LarrySMednick]

Good question! Flying low is actually legal for trikes in the US so long as they are 500’ from people and structures. And I can tell you it is A LOT OF FUN! But you must know the area or risk powerlines for sure!

[@paperplane1098]

My question is why was he flying so low in the first place? in australia where I am, it is illegal to fly below 500ft in normal flight.

[@LarrySMednick]

You are right, it’s a bad idea. Legal or not. In the US. it is legal. But that doesn’t make it a good idea.

[@emmo_93]

Same in NZ unless fert spreading

[@webrambler88]

Australia does not seem to be the home of the free... It ticks all the boxes (Covid dictatorship, etc) 😂

[@LegendLength]

@@webrambler88 It's quite free but it's slowly getting more authoritarian like most countries. Give politicians and inch they'll take it a mile.

[@michaelbritain5546]

Not in UK, but 500 feet from structure, person or vehicle, can be ground level and 500 feet from a house, no problem.

[@bbhima5814]

Flying around fields of crops without knowing where the powerlines are...........can this guy even spell Darwin?

[@LarrySMednick]

Yep. Keeps killing pilots on somewhat of a regular basis too. Hopefully this video will save a few pilots who can learn from others mistakes.

[@deltaangar]

Пилот конечно лоханулся сильно, но молодец, что смог вырулить в такой сложной остановке. Столбы, провода...

[@InducedBank]

Man, way way too low - zero options in an engine failure ☹ Reminder too that you can't see power lines/telephone lines until way too late, but you can see the poles/pylons 👍

[@hapybratt8640]

Yeah, its weird seeing so many ultralight pilots get so low to the ground. Not sure if it has something to do with lack of training or what but i've always been told don't get low unless you are really familiar with the terrain or its required. I see the appeal though, I've always wanted to float a couple feet above rivers but I'm not willing to take the risk.

[@aviatorjoe4153]

@@hapybratt8640 It is less risky if you plan ahead and that means: 1. making sure your aircraft and engine are 100%, 2. planning your flight over a field by looking at Google Earth and doing several flybys of the field before venturing low, 3. Looking for the vertical POLES, not the wires as they are much more visible and 4. practicing low altitude engine failure over non-hostile terrain. This pilot did do a great job because he kept flying right down to the ground. But, he obviously didn't plan his approach to the field too well. Glad he's okay.

[@cameronlapworth2284]

@@aviatorjoe4153 Yes planning an area can help. I fly gyros and I observed my instructor many years ago having an argument with a former student. The former student was explaining how awesome it was to fly 2 ft low over the river for several km leading to the river mouth and the beach which he would fly along. My instructor explained that in a gyro from that height should the engine fail you are in the river definitely and at that height you are likely to collect a power line if you aren't careful. He explained that he had flown over the area carefully and there were no power lines - and he could swim. My instructor explained to him that it would only take the local council (government managing the area) to erect a power line between flights and he would suddenly find himself tangled in a power line. The former student continued to argue, it got quite heated. The former student was stubborn. A few weeks latter I was watching the news and saw his gyro being hauled out of a river having struck a powerline. I latter discovered his head had been near sheared off. Ultimately the solution is simple, there are very few power lines at 300ft+AGL and unless you own the property or know the owner some bugger may erect a power line in an area you have previously cleared or you may not have discovered a power line you have inadvertently flown under several times. They are like spiders webs, hard to see unless the sun is shinning, when stretched across creeks and rivers the poles may be obscured by trees too.

[@hariowen3840]

More luck than judgement eh!

[@LarrySMednick]

For sure….

[@offshoretinker]

Pure stupid pilot error.

[@a64738]

Rumors has it that if you do not fly under power lines it is much less likely to provoke them into attacking ;)

[@destroytheilluminati770]

you will always be able to see the power poles long before you see the wires. Power poles= no going low

[@lauriejones3198]

Sometimes poles are obscured by trees or buildings. Any agpilot will attest to this. Cheers

[@DougBow96]

Wow 😮😮 Great job to keep aviating and avoid other obstacles 👍

[@martyc5674]

Just curious- would he have snapped the power lines? Or how did he get free of them?- lucky pilot and fair play to him for sharing his mistakes which should save others.

[@LarrySMednick]

The line broke. This was 1 of 9 types of lines and the only type that would have snapped that easily.

[@donjohnson2639]

Wow nice save.... very lucky

[@Therapy1044]

Is it at 0:02 and 0:12? Phone cable that took out the windscreen and then broke? Or pretty weak power lines. If it was power line wire that hit the nose and rode up to the hang block I can't imagine it breaking. After the fact inspection? What wire was it?

[@LarrySMednick]

We are told there are 9 different types of powerlines, only one of them probably would’ve broken and this was the one. It is in aluminum cable that has a single stainless steel strand in it for structure. The other eight types would have surely altered the outcome.

[@Therapy1044]

@@LarrySMednick As luck would have it.

[@chrisbeber9177]

How did he recover from that. Seemed like a full stall then back to flying

[@LarrySMednick]

I don’t think it stalled, but definitely lost directional control. Keep it in the air long enough and the Aircraft will correct itself.

[@DeksZagreb]

What kind of trike is that, what's the brand?

[@LarrySMednick]

That was an Air Creation.

[@PtangPtangBiscuitBarrelSmith]

Lucky for the pilot it was the Tanarg. they are built like Tanks.

[@lauriejones3198]

If this pilot was just gooning around at low level, well, he nearly got what he deserved. This kind of low level flying for fun should never be encouraged. Any ag pilot, myself included, will tell you how stupid it is. You will see the poles before the wires most times. Just don't bloody do it. But if you must, do a complete recon, preferably from the ground, and remember sometimes new wires and aerials get put up unannounced. So there's that.

[@petemitchell6788]

Didn’t see all the poles? 😮

[@LarrySMednick]

I think the poles were running parallel to his flight path. And that’s why he felt he knew where all the wires were.

[@intheworkseg6]

So the lesson is dont fly directly into power lines 😬

[@Les__Mack]

So the plan if we hit power lines is to just keep flying? Nothing to see here.

[@LarrySMednick]

If you want to live, that’s the 1st thing you do if it is possible, otherwise nothing else matters.

[@Y08BK]

Но бывает что провода сильнее и остановка неизбежна.

[@Les__Mack]

@@LarrySMednick I understand that and I agree. Fly the aircraft to the ground. But once I hit the wires I would want to be down immediately. I would have cut the engine and landed on the road. He was already right there. He went for a full 30 seconds after the wire strike in what appeared to be a stable configuration. That's where my comment came from. But maybe the confusion is that as a PPG pilot I can land almost anywhere at a moment's notice. I'm thinking maybe there was a reason he didn't take the more obvious landing options.

[@LarrySMednick]

@@Les__Mack What may not be evident from the video at first glance is the trike was out of control, mostly in yaw/roll and if I had to guess, the adrenaline and panic at that moment may not have allowed him to safely put it down right that second. A panicked landing on the road probably would not have had the same outcome. Pay close attention to the pilot's body and arm position. Trying to line up under power lines with poles on each side of the road was not his best option at that moment in my personal opinion. But I wasn't there and that is just my assessment after seeing the footage. Not saying I am right and you are wrong, but this is my opinion based on what is shown in this video. Remember with a trike you must touch down lined up with the "runway" and you are going like 50 MPH so those poles ahead are a danger compared to a PPG where there is no roll out to worry about.

[@f-xdemers2825]

One should thoroughly surveyed fields or any area intended to be flown that low. What a stupid thing to do what he did. It give a bad name to the sport and put properties and lives at risk. What an idiot.

[@LarrySMednick]

Please be respectful to those that share their mistakes with the world so that others may benefit from their hard lessons. Otherwise people may be reluctant to share such important content in the future.

[@f-xdemers2825]

@@LarrySMednick One of those "pilots" landed uninvited on my ultralight landing strip without properly evaluating it's length and ended in the ditch at the end of it. I got no end of difficulties and restrictions from the municipality and he tried to sue. My insurance shot up and a neighbor tells me he is afraid for his children. This is not a mistake, it's intentional recklessness. This guy SHOULD NOT have anything of that nature to share. That is my point. He should not be allowed to fly.

[@LarrySMednick]

I am glad to have this video and know it will save lives. I am thankful and very grateful to the pilot for sharing his mistake. I agree with you right up until you start insulting the pilot. No need for that. The question is are you glad this video was published? Maybe had the guy who crashed on your property seen this video it could have been avoided. Either way this video is positive, even though the event was negative.

[@f-xdemers2825]

@@LarrySMednick I agree with you right up until you call it repeatedly a mistake. It was not.

[@LarrySMednick]

That’s like saying you can’t call a car accident an accident because the driver was speeding. The driver choose to speed, therefore the driver caused the crash… yeah. Still an accident. And if that driver shared video of the crash and others could learn from it I would say the same thing. Which is THANK YOU FOR SHARING. must be embarrassing, and thank you for sharing it. Just be thankful. You may not need an obvious lesson, but other do and this isn’t the first time it’s ever happened and it won’t be the last. So it’s not just “this guy”

[@johnharrison5405]

500ft minimum above ground level!!!!

[@LarrySMednick]

In the US. Helicopters, weight shift control a and powered parachute are allowed to fly to surface unlike fixed wing which must fly at 500’ or above.

[@leneanderthalien]

this guy was flying much too low, the minimum altitude allowed in the countryside is 150m above the ground...

[@LarrySMednick]

In the US it is legal to fly to surface in a weight shift control.

[@stanislavkostarnov2157]

@@LarrySMednick I believe, that is only true in some states is it not? my feeling was this is a state-level, or even municipality level, decision.

[@LarrySMednick]

@@stanislavkostarnov2157 no, it’s an FAA rule. States do not have different rules.

[@thomasnappo6309]

Good Karma

[@markboyle]

Dont fly too close to the edge of the air! ffs

[@patrickmckowen2999]

👍

[@ar15gator]

OMG!

[@tommynikon2283]

I'm no pilot but this takeoff decision was TERRIBLE; this wasn't an exercise in great piloting- it was all Lady LUCK. After he went UNDER the lines, he was so low as to impede road traffic. POOR pre-flighting/flight planning around KNOWN obstacles/terrain PRIOR to launch.

[@LarrySMednick]

This was not a take off but someone flying very low. Yes it was very bad and only luck saved his life plus some flying skill after “luck” allowed him to live.

[@AV8R_1]

😮😮😮

[@jamespretorius3618]

If I may: Power lines will kill you - this pilot was lucky. What remains is the question - WHY did he fly into power lines? There are three sets of circumstances: 1. A pilot takes of having planned his takeoff - and suffers a failing engine or loss of control, with not enough height/speed to avoid the power lines and make his emergency landing point. EFATO: Aircraft's fault. 2. A pilot takes of and flies into power lines under full power. CFIT: Pilot's fault. 3. A pilot engages in low flying (which is lovely), without knowledge of the terrain under and in front of him. CFIT: Pilot's fault. What amazes me from this video is that the pilot takes of under full power and does not put it down right in front of him amongst the crops after the wire strike, but chooses to risk more power lines - in a compromised aircraft - in an attempt to land somewhere else. This is couch preaching, yes, I know, but if you are lucky enough to survive a power line strike and you have a semblance of control over your aircraft - put it down right in front of you! The only REAL excuse for a power line strike, is EFATO with no options. The rest - blame the pilot. Power lines do not "Attack". They are stationary objects, same as mountains. They do not move for you.

[@LarrySMednick]

#3. Totally pilots fault… I don’t think he was under control when over the road. I think he would have crashed had he set it down on the road. But maybe not… Yes power lines attacking was just in jest. Total pilot error and lack of ADM for sure.

[@jamespretorius3618]

@@LarrySMednick True Larry. After watching again - there was some serious loss of directional control after the strike - so that field in front of him went by the wayside as an option. He actually tried for the road, I think, which was in front of him at that point - but that WOULD have probably resulted in a bad outcome. Thank God for topless wings!! Had there been a reflex bridle from a kingpost, those lines next to the road would have ended it for him...Also - when in that situation you obviously do what you instinctively have to in split seconds, with survival at the top of your mind. By the way - I love your trikes. Wish the exchange rate between Dollar and Rand was better! Love from South Africa.

[@luciocalandrelli8369]

🙆🏻‍♂️🙆🏻‍♂️🙆🏻‍♂️🍀🍀🍀🙏

[@Trike.]

Larry , I would love for you to do a commentary on why you believe my trike was locked in to a left hand turn , and how did the wing get that way . In my set up , I didn't have the nose of the wing tied down and the wing tips fell back and the nose of the wing pointed upwards . But i managed to bring the nose of wing down , push out the wing tips, then attached the haul back , Then i finished the rest of the set up and went and flew . Then this happened , The next time i set it up I didn't find anything wrong with it and it flew fine .kzbin.info/www/bejne/jqiXZYuQq9CEn80

[@LarrySMednick]

Haul back cable hooked under top bolt on left side of hang block.

[@thepilot9796]

How could hit power lines??? They are all over his takeoff spot??? Need to reevaluate his judgment!

[@LarrySMednick]

He wasn’t taking off. He was flying low.

[@thepilot9796]

@@LarrySMednick Looks like he needs a lot of judgment thinking....he has none!