Didsbury left in dark as plane trying to land clips power lines
Mounties and federal aviation investigators are looking into what caused a small plane landing at a central Alberta airstrip to collide with power lines Tuesday evening, cutting off power to the town of Didsbury.
A little after 8:15 p.m., the single-engine Piper Cherokee was preparing to land at the Olds-Didsbury Airport when witnesses say it clipped roadside power lines along Highway 2A at Bergen Road. They reported seeing a large electrical arc and hearing a loud boom.
Police located the plane at the airport, where it landed safely.
Preliminary investigation suggests the plane flew under the roadside power lines as it was attempting to land, striking the wires with its propeller, windshield, wing and tail.
The plane sustained a shattered windshield and other minor damage, while the pilot, the aircraft’s lone occupant, escaped injury. Power was out for about four hours.
Police turned the investigation over to the Transportation Safety Board.