# Accident 20200701008259A: Cessna 172M, Meadville, PA, July 1, 2020

- Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: July 1, 2020, 18:45 local time
- Place: Meadville, PA
- Airport: Port Meadville Airport
- Damage: Substantial damage
- Phase of flight: Taxi
- Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
- Location: 41.6267° N, 80.2147° W: From the FAA
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=41.6267&lon=-80.2147&mi=10
- Aircraft: N9127H, registered now (https://openairdocs.org/aircraft/N9127H) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry model: Cessna 172M (registry code 2072418, https://openairdocs.org/model/cessna-172m) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry engine: Lycoming 0-320 series (registry code 41508, https://openairdocs.org/engine/lycoming-0-320-series) (OpenAirDocs)
- Reported make and model: CESSNA 172M
- Reported engine: LYCOMING 0-320 SERIES
- People aboard: 2
- Fatal injuries: 0
- Other injuries: 0
- Pilot certificates: Private pilot
- Pilot flight hours: 1,161 total, 528 in this make and model, 26 in the last 90 days
- NTSB investigation: [NTSB ERA20CA236](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/ERA20CA236) (OpenAirDocs)
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/20200701008259A

## Narrative

As the FAA filed it, in capitals; the FAA replaces private details with ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^.

INVESTIGATION RESULTS:

A PHONE INTERVIEW WAS CONDUCTED WITH ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^, PIC OF N9127H/PORT MEADVILLE ON 7/6/2020 AT HIS HOME PHONE NUMBER:  ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ FOR 30 MINUTES.  I E-MAILED ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ THE COMPLIANCE PHILOSOPHY BROCHURE TO HIS E-MAIL ADDRESS OF:  ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ PRIOR TO CONDUCTING THE INTERVIEW.  ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ WAS FORTHCOMING WITH THE INFORMATION.

THE FOLLOWING IS THE INFORMATION THAT WAS COLLECTED FROM THE PIC DURING THE INTERVIEW:

-THE PIC IS PART OWNER OF THE AIRCRAFT.  EACH PARTIAL OWNER PAYS AN HOURLY RATE TO FLY N9127H.

-2 INDIVIDUALS WERE ONBOARD AT THE TIME OF THE ACCIDENT (PIC AND HIS WIFE)

-THE PIC AND HIS WIFE WERE UNINJURED.  THE PIC STATED THAT NEITHER OF THEM HAD A SINGLE BUMP ON THEIR BODIES FROM THE ACCIDENT.

-THE PIC WAS TAXIING TO RUNWAY 7 VIA TAXIWAY ALPHA AT PORT MEADVILLE AIRPORT (KGKJ).

-DURING THE TAXI ON TAXIWAY ALPHA, THE PIC WAS ENTERING INFORMATION INTO THE GPS OF N9127H.

-THE PIC WAS DISTRACTED BY THE GPS, AND WHEN HE LOOKED UP OUT OF THE AIRCRAFT'S WINDSCREEN, HE REALIZED THAT HE WAS APPROACHING THE END OF TAXIWAY ALPHA.

-THE PIC AGGRESSIVELY APPLIED PRESSURE TO THE BRAKES, BUT HE WAS NOT ABLE TO AVOID RUNNING THE AIRCRAFT OFF THE EDGE OF THE TAXIWAY PAVEMENT, THROUGH THE GRASS, AND DOWN AN EMBANKMENT.

-THE PIC SAID THAT EVERYTHING ON THE AIRCRAFT WAS WORKING PROPERLY, INCLUDING THE BRAKES WHEN I HAD ASKED HIM ABOUT THE FUNCTIONALITY OF THE BRAKES.

-THE PIC STATED THAT THE ACCIDENT WAS ?TOTALLY MY FAULT.?

-THE PIC SAID THAT HE WAS ?SOMEWHAT FAMILIAR WITH THE GPS.?

-THE PIC SAID THAT HE SHOULD HAVE PROGRAMMED THE GPS BEFORE TAXIING, WHEN I WAS ASKING QUESTION REGARDING SAFER OPTIONS FOR PROGRAMMING A GPS UNIT.

-THE PIC SAID THAT HE WAS TAXIING AT A ?NORMAL TAXI SPEED.?  WHEN I QUESTIONED IF HE WAS TAXIING AT A SPEED COMPARABLE TO A BRISK WALK, HE SAID, ?YES.?

***PLEASE NOTE:  BASED ON THE MARKS THAT WERE LEFT ON THE PAVEMENT FROM THE AGGRESSIVE BRAKING, IT IS PROBABLE THAT THE AIRCRAFT WAS MOVING FASTER THAN A BRISK WALK.

-THE PIC SAID THAT THE TAXIWAY PAVEMENT WAS DRY AND LIGHT WINDS WERE OBSERVED AT APPROXIMATELY 4 KNOTS OUT OF 020 DEGREES.

***PLEASE NOTE:  ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^, AIRPORT MANAGER AT PORT MEADVILLE, SAID THAT THE PIC TOLD HIM THAT HE WAS ?CONDUCTING A RUN-UP, AND THE AIRCRAFT GOT AWAY? FROM HIM.  I MENTIONED THIS COMMENT TO ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ WHEN I WAS INTERVIEWING HIM, AND HE SAID THAT HE NEVER SAID SUCH A COMMENT.  THE OBSERVED TIRE MARKS THAT TRANSFERRED TO THE TAXIWAY PAYMENT DURING THE AGGRESSIVE BRAKING, INDICATED BY ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^, FALL IN LINE WITH ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ DESCRIPTION OF THE EVENTS LEADING TO THE ACCIDENT, EXCEPT FOR THE TAXI SPEED, DURING THE INTERVIEW ON 7/6/2020.

## The NTSB's investigation of this event (1)

From the NTSB's public API. Aircraft are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported serial number, make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.

- [NTSB ERA20CA236](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/ERA20CA236), Jul 1, 2020: Cessna 172 (N9127H), Meadville, PA, substantial damage. Probable cause: The pilot's distraction while taxiing, which resulted in a taxiway excursion.

From the FAA Accident/Incident Data System. Reports are matched to registry aircraft 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. For accidents, the NTSB's own investigation is the fuller record.

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