A witness reported that he saw the Luscombe 8 takeoff from an airpark in Manvel, Texas, and fly a left traffic pattern.
The airplane disappeared behind a tree line after lining up on a pipeline easement northeast of the airport.
The witness then reported a bright flash from a power line and he responded to the accident scene. He observed the airplane resting inverted in the field.
The airplane sustained substantial damage to both wings and the forward fuselage. The pilot was seriously injured in the crash.
An FAA inspector who responded to the accident site reported that the airplane struck a set of power lines and crashed in a pipeline field about seven-tenths of a mile from the airpark.
The owner of the property adjacent to the field told the inspector that he witnessed the airplane hit the power lines and that the airplane appeared to be attempting to land in the field.
The witness reported that since the accident he has spoken with the pilot on multiple occasions and the pilot has no memory of the crash or the events leading to the accident.
However, in his statement to the FAA inspector, the witness reported the pilot telling him several times that he was on final approach to the runway when he hit the power lines.
Probable Cause: The pilot’s failure to maintain clearance from power lines during his attempted landing and his loss of situational awareness that led to him to misidentify a pipeline field for the landing airpark.
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This December 2020 accident report is provided by the National Transportation Safety Board. Published as an educational tool, it is intended to help pilots learn from the misfortunes of others.
Easy to see the possibilities of misidentifying the airport on Google Maps if the pilot fixated on the landing area. There are two fields aligned within about 20° of the runway and lots of power lines in those areas However, at the airport threshold, on the east side, there are four taxiways and about 30 structures (look like mostly hangars) which would have confirmed runway/airport location. Good reminder to use multiple references. Sorry for the pilot’s mishap.