On Thu, 17 Feb 2005 02:14:59 GMT, Don Bruder wrote:

In article .com,
wrote:

I have looked everywhere,

What are the large red speres you see on high tension wires?

One set specifically where I-95 crosses the Connecticut river.

Depending on location, you can usually translate those big red/orange
balls on a power line to mean one of two things:

AIRMEN! DANGER! PULL UP! THERE ARE WIRES HERE YOU PROBABLY CAN'T SEE!

if there's no water crossing under them. If they're over water, then the
meaning is similar:

SAILORS! DANGER! MAKE SURE YOUR MAST WILL FIT UNDER!


A Cessna clipped a high-tension line on the outskirts of Bay City
Michigan a few years back - According to what came out once the pilot
was IDed, located, arrested, and charged, he was trying to "buzz" a
buddy's house in a rented plane. Fortunately for him, the power line
snapped, so he didn't actually crash, but it was a miracle that he
didn't - When the plane was inspected (after he'd landed and beat-feet
for "anywhere but here" without so much as a word to anyone about the
incident), it was found that the left wing had been very nearly ripped
off the plane. There was a 10 inch gap between the leading edge and the
main fuselage, and near the outboard end of the wing, the clear
impression of the cable - at the bottom of a "valley" mashed almost a
foot deep into the leading edge. How the thing held together long enough
for him to land it is beyond my wildest imagination.

Like others have said the spar is the main structure of the wing to
the fuselage. It's common with crop dusters to come back with cuts
from tree branches that go all the way to the spar (usually set in the
first 1/4 of the wing). The A&P would inspect it and then we would
clean the insecticide off with acetone and duct tape it. The critical
leading edges have steel knives on them for cutting power lines and
such. I've often wondered how much the stall characteristics change
from having those.

I've yet to see a crop dusting pilot not duck when going under power
lines and they have even a bigger knife in front of them. What is wild
is plane crash scenes , I'm about up to about 5. I'd love to see a big
plane crash site minus the people parts of course. Better yet getting
a close up tour of flight 799+1 put back together.

After re-reading your description of the plane it sounds like he
should have been stuck up in the lines or died. That plane is a total
loss.