19970518014679I

Incident · Minor damage

FAA incident report · Piper PA-28-161 · Robbinsville, NJ · May 18, 1997

Date: May 18, 1997 · 16:05 local
Place: Robbinsville, NJ
Airport: Trenton-Robbinsville Airport
Phase of flight: Ground Taxi, Other Airplane
Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
Damage: Minor damage
Aircraft: N40JA
Reported as: Piper PA28161
Reported engine: Lycoming O320D3G
People aboard: 1
Fatal injuries: 0
Pilot’s flight hours: 406 total185 in this make and model6 in the last 90 days

N40JARegistered now · Piper PA-28-161S/N 28-8616036 · Built 1985 Airframe modelPiper PA-28-161 Engine modelLycoming 0-320 seriesReciprocating

From the FAA’s Accident/Incident Data System (AIDS), through its Aviation Safety Information Portal, as reported. The NTSB investigates accidents separately, and its record of an accident is the fuller one. The aircraft is matched to the registry by N-number and event date, checked against the reported make and model; the registry’s history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.

What happened

The FAA’s narrative, in sentence case. The FAA writes it in capitals and removes private details.

Narrative: on 5-18-97 Douglas r. schatz was taxiing Piper N40JA at Robbinsville airport (N87). Pilot became distracted by a group of spectators. Spectators were viewing static displays of aircraft. As pilot was on taxi progress, he became concerned as to how close people were to sides of the aircraft. The left wing tip ran down the side of the upper portion of a small truck parked in grass along side of taxiway. The wing tip impacted the small trailer attached to it. The truck and trailer were positioned on the grass 2 feet from left edge of taxiway. The aircraft was on the centerline according to the pilot report. Following collision, pilot stopped aircraft and inspected damage. Incident closed.

As the FAA filed it

NARRATIVE: ON 5-18-97 DOUGLAS R. SCHATZ WAS TAXIING PIPER N40JA AT ROBBINSVILLE AIRPORT (N87). PILOT BECAME DISTRACTED BY A GROUP OF SPECTATORS. SPECTATORS WERE VIEWING STATIC DISPLAYS OF AIRCRAFT. AS PILOT WAS ON TAXI PROGRESS, HE BECAME CONCERNED AS TO HOW CLOSE PEOPLE WERE TO SIDES OF THE AIRCRAFT. THE LEFT WING TIP RAN DOWN THE SIDE OF THE UPPER PORTION OF A SMALL TRUCK PARKED IN GRASS ALONG SIDE OF TAXIWAY. THE WING TIP IMPACTED THE SMALL TRAILER ATTACHED TO IT. THE TRUCK AND TRAILER WERE POSITIONED ON THE GRASS 2 FEET FROM LEFT EDGE OF TAXIWAY. THE AIRCRAFT WAS ON THE CENTERLINE ACCORDING TO THE PILOT REPORT. FOLLOWING COLLISION, PILOT STOPPED AIRCRAFT AND INSPECTED DAMAGE. INCIDENT CLOSED.