- Date
- July 1, 2004, 15:00 local (19:00 UTC)
- Place
- Winston Salem, NC
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Taxi
- Aircraft
- N71409Cessna 172M
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report October 28, 2004
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Parties
- Greensboro FSDO
- FAA report
- 20040701023999A
- Case key
- 59988
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
Probable cause
The pilot's failure to maintain clearance from the fence post, while taxing which resulted in a collision.
Sequence of events
NTSB’s coding before 2008: each occurrence and phase of flight, and the causes and factors under it. The codes are defined in NTSB’s coding manual.
Analysis
According to both pilots, after landing, the airplane was cleared to taxi to the north ramp. Both pilots stated that the CFI in the left seat took control of the airplane in order to position and park it. The pilot in control of the airplane at the time of the accident, CFI- left, stated, "while pushing the left rudder, [his] foot slipped down and off the [left] pedal." He stated that he then immediately "pushed full left rudder, but the right wing... hit one of the corner metal poles." The pilot not in control of the airplane at the time of the accident, CFI-right, stated that as the pilot in control "was beginning to set-up the aircraft's turn, his foot immediately slipped off of the rudder. This caused the aircraft's wing to hit a fence pole." Both pilots stated that the airplane was immediately shut down and assistance was sought. Post-accident examination of the airplane revealed that the right wing sustained leading edge spar damage and extensive skin buckling, and the right wing tip was crushed. The engine, landing gear, fuselage, and left wing were intact and undamaged. No mechanical problems with the airplane were reported by the pilot.
Factual narrative
On July 1, 2004, at 1500 eastern daylight time, N71409, a Cessna 172M, registered to and operated by Triad Air, Inc., collided with a fence post while taxiing after landing at Smith Reynolds Airport, Winston-Salem, North Carolina. The instructional flight was conducted under the provisions of Title 14 CFR Part 91, and visual flight rules. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time of the accident and no flight plan had been filed. The pilot-in-command, a certified flight instructor seated in the left seat (CFI-left), and the certified flight instructor seated in the right seat, (CFI-right), were not injured. The airplane received substantial damage. The local flight originated at Smith Reynolds Airport, Winston-Salem, North Carolina, on July 1, 2004, at 1330.
According to the operator, the flight had taken place prior to the accident for the purpose of an initial checkout for a newly hired flight instructor, CFI-right. According to both pilots, after landing, the airplane was cleared to taxi to the north ramp. Both pilots stated that the CFI-left took control of the airplane in order to position and park it. The pilot in control of the airplane at the time of the accident, CFI- left, stated, "while pushing the left rudder, [his] foot slipped down and off the [left] pedal." He stated that he then immediately "pushed full left rudder, but the right wing... hit one of the corner metal poles." The pilot not in control of the airplane at the time of the accident, CFI-right, stated that as the pilot in control "was beginning to set-up the aircraft's turn, his foot immediately slipped off of the rudder. This caused the aircraft's wing to hit a fence post." Both pilots stated that the airplane was immediately shut down and assistance was sought.
Post-accident examination of the airplane revealed that the right wing sustained leading edge spar damage and extensive skin buckling, and the right wing tip was crushed. The engine, landing gear, fuselage, and left wing were intact and undamaged. Examination of the aircraft logbooks revealed that the right wing was replaced per Federal Aviation Regulations and procedures on July 23, 2004. No mechanical problems with the airplane were reported by the pilots.
Notification of this accident from the operator was received by the NTSB on August 12, 2004.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N71409
- Reported as
- Cessna 172M
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 17267227
- Airframe hours
- 3,669.9
- Engine
- Lycoming O-320E2D, 150 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Operator
- Triad Air Inc.,
- Registered owner
- Triad Air
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · May 4, 2004 · 75.7 hours before
- Departed
- KINT · Winston Salem, NC
- Destination
- Winston Salem, NC
- Airport
- KINT · Smith Reynolds
Matched to the registry by N-number and the event date; the registry’s history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.
Flight crew · 2
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Flight instructor
- Age
- 26
- Injuries
- None
- Certificates
- Commercial, Flight instructor
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Last flight review
- June 2, 2004
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 325 total
- Role
- Flight instructor
- Age
- 30
- Injuries
- None
- Certificates
- Flight instructor, Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Last flight review
- April 18, 2004
- Seat
- Right
- Flight hours
- 360 total
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Observed at
- kint
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.
Other investigations on N71409 · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.