The aircraft was damaged extensively by its impact with the wire, but the pilots were safe. Ron Fowler, in the book Making Perfect Landings, suggests that pilots imagine themselves sitting on a cone with sides slanting at a 45-degree angle down to the ground. Remember that the cone is circular and that the best landing spot may be behind you. Many fields, especially around the Midwest, are outlined by section lines about a mile square. Telephone and power lines may surround such fields, however, and are often invisible when landing into the sun.
Fields change colors during the growing season.
Newly plowed fields are obviously bad choices, but brown with a touch of green or green fields with sod may be good choices. However, what is green at altitude could be high crops down close. Dark green, such as corn in summer, is obviously a bad choice. Harvested fields are better but are very rough. Landing into the wind offers the pilot the best opportunity for survival, Wipotnik said.