Wires over the Columbia River from Oregon to a tower near Wishram, Washington have been flagged as a potential hazard for pilots. Klickitat County officials take issue with the wires because there are no flight warning markers. According to the Goldendale Sentinel, The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is now involved and will do an assessment on the wires.
Bonneville Power Administration claims it is in full compliance with all requirements, and that adding markers would pose more of a threat. If a marker fell from the wires, it could potentially harm commuters traveling on the major highways below.
The subject became more of a priority because of Klickitat County Sheriff Bob Songer’s letter to Richard Shaheen, Senior Vice President of BPA Transmission Business Services. He wrote, “These high, unmarked transmission lines, erected this year, consist of six multi-conductor transmission lines, in addition to two thin and visible static cables stretching from bank to bank from towers on either side of the river. These unmarked lines pose a present danger to aircraft.”
Ty A. Bartausky, an FAA Front Line Manager in Portland, addressed the situation in a letter written in response to follow-up communication from aviator Doug Herlihy, “This is in response to your concerns with the power lines crossing the Columbia River near Wishram. An inspector from our office has visited the site. We have forwarded the concerns regarding the unmarked power lines to the Flight Standards NextGen Branch. An Obstruction Evaluation Specialist will review our recommendation to mark the power lines. I anticipate that an airspace case will be opened, if one has not already been opened, and subsequently an airspace review will be conducted,” he wrote.
Earlier this year, Daily Mail reported a doctor was killed after the small plane he was piloting crashed into a guy-wire attached to a television tower, as he approached an airport in West Texas. In 2009, five people were killed when a small airplane crashed in Oklahoma, after hitting a guide wire from a communications tower in foggy conditions, according to WNDU.com.
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