- Date
- May 3, 2026, 13:00 local (19:00 UTC)
- Place
- Glenwood Springs, CO
- Injuries
- 3 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Taxi
- Aircraft
- N2904RPiper PA-28-236
- Defining event
- Taxi: Ground collision
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report October 1, 2026
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Investigation class
- Class 4 - Basic report with no Prelim publish
- NTSB office
- Central Region
- Parties
- FAA Salt Lake City FSDO
- Case key
- 203474
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 a fuel farm fence while taxiing.
Findings · 4
NTSB’s coded findings. Those marked are part of the probable cause; the rest are factors or other findings. Under each, the cases with the same finding.
Sequence of events
The events NTSB coded, in order, by phase of flight. The defining event is the one that best describes the accident. Under each, the cases with the same event anywhere in their sequence.
Analysis
During a turn while taxiing near a fuel farm at a slow speed, the airplane's left wing contacted the fuel facility fence. Following the initial impact, the airplane pivoted toward the fence, resulting in additional contact with the fenced enclosure. The collision resulted in substantial damage to the left wing and fuselage. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation. Following the accident, the pilot identified several areas to reduce the risk of similar occurrences. These areas included conducting a more deliberate visual assessment of obstacle clearance before initiating turns in confined ramp or taxi areas, requesting wing-walking assistance or external guidance when maneuvering near obstacles, and allowing additional taxi distance before beginning turns to increase wingtip clearance margins.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N2904R
- Reported as
- Piper PA-28-236
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 28-7911237
- Built
- 1979
- Engine
- Lycoming Engines O-540-J3A5D, 235 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Club Cherokee Inc
- Registered owner
- Club Cherokee Inc
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Departed
- GNB · Granby, CO
- Destination
- GWS · Glenwood Springs, CO
- Airport
- GWS · Sumers Airpark
- Equipment
- Electronic flight bag or handheld device, Auto-pilot, ADS-B
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
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 69
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 3, With waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- September 6, 2024
- Seat
- Front
- Restraint
- 3-point
- Flight hours
- 525 total · 140 in this make and model · 410 as pilot in command · 11 in the last 90 days · 5 in the last 30 days · 1.5 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 7,000 ft broken
- Temperature
- 41 °F, dew point 16 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.29 inHg
- Observed at
- K5SM, 6 nm away
- METAR
- K5SM 031855Z AUTO 10SM BKN070 OVC080 05/M09 A3029 RMK AO2
Docket · 2
The files NTSB released with the investigation on October 1, 2026, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 6.4 MB in all.