LIVERMORE FALLS — The National Transportation Safety Board’s preliminary report on an airplane crash at Bowman Field Airport on Aug. 1 said the plane struck power lines before hitting the ground.
Pilot Mark D. Smith of Livermore Falls and a passenger were uninjured after the single-engine, fixed-wing Boeing lost power, forcing a landing attempt at the perimeter of the airfield. During the landing, the airplane struck power lines before hitting the ground and damaging the wings, according to the report released Tuesday.
Smith said fuel contamination had been noted on a previous flight. However, the airplane fuel system had been flushed and the engine was operated on the ground for approximately 90 minutes, the report stated. A Federal Aviation Administration inspector reported that the contamination was a lint-like substance. A subsequent examination of the fuel lines and tanks found no contaminants.
The aircraft was being operated on a non-ethanol automotive gasoline. The sky was clear and the winds were calm at the time of the crash, the report said.
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