19970917027679A

Accident · Substantial damage

FAA accident report · Piper PA-18A 150 · Bainbridge, GA · September 17, 1997

Date: September 17, 1997 · 10:30 local
Place: Bainbridge, GA
Airport: Decatur County Industrial Airp
Phase of flight: Ground Taxi, Other Airplane
Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
Damage: Substantial damage
Aircraft: N3985P
NTSB investigation: NTSBMIA97LA247
Reported as: Piper PA18A150
People aboard: 2
Fatal injuries: 0

N3985PRegistered now · Piper PA-18A 150S/N 18-4745 · Built 1956 Airframe modelPiper PA-18A 150 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.

Struck by a tractor on ramp while taxiing to fuel pump. Tractor was sweeping ramp. (-23) tractor with sweeper attached ran into the aircraft while the aircraft was taxiing on the airport tarmac. The aircraft received substantial damage. No injuries. The pilot indicated that the tractor was brown and blended with the background of trees and brown grass. In reality, the tractor is blue and was well marked. If the pilot had been making decent clearing turns as required in this model aircraft, there is no logical explanation for the collision to date. The driver of the tractor was a county inmate and had received no formal training from the aircraft authority.

As the FAA filed it

STRUCK BY A TRACTOR ON RAMP WHILE TAXIING TO FUEL PUMP. TRACTOR WAS SWEEPING RAMP. (-23) TRACTOR WITH SWEEPER ATTACHED RAN INTO THE AIRCRAFT WHILE THE AIRCRAFT WAS TAXIING ON THE AIRPORT TARMAC. THE AIRCRAFT RECEIVED SUBSTANTIAL DAMAGE. NO INJURIES. THE PILOT INDICATED THAT THE TRACTOR WAS BROWN AND BLENDED WITH THE BACKGROUND OF TREES AND BROWN GRASS. IN REALITY, THE TRACTOR IS BLUE AND WAS WELL MARKED. IF THE PILOT HAD BEEN MAKING DECENT CLEARING TURNS AS REQUIRED IN THIS MODEL AIRCRAFT, THERE IS NO LOGICAL EXPLANATION FOR THE COLLISION TO DATE. THE DRIVER OF THE TRACTOR WAS A COUNTY INMATE AND HAD RECEIVED NO FORMAL TRAINING FROM THE AIRCRAFT AUTHORITY.

NTSB investigation

The NTSB’s investigation of this event, with its probable cause and findings. Matched to this report by N-number and date.

NTSB MIA97LA247Accident · No injuriesLimited investigationFinal reportBainbridge, GAthe failure of the pilot to see and avoid the tractor resulting in an on ground collision. A factor in this accident was the limited forward visibility from the cockpit of the airplane.Sep 17, 1997 · Substantial damage