- Date
- May 28, 2008, 16:20 local (21:20 UTC)
- Place
- San Antonio, TX
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Taxi
- Aircraft
- N9144HCessna 172M
- Defining event
- Taxi-to runway: Ground collision
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report August 28, 2008
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Parties
- San Antonio FSDO
- FAA report
- 20080528837249A
- Case key
- 68133
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 an object while taxiing. Contributing to the accident were the pilot's diverted attention and a vehicle.
Findings · 3
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
The pilot was taxiing from the pilot school ramp and was about to depart on a solo long cross country flight when the airport ground controller called him on the radio. The pilot became distracted while taxiing and failed to notice the 2,000 gallon aviation gasoline refueling truck in front of him and collided with the right rear of the refueling truck. The impact forces of the right wing of the airplane striking the refueling truck spun the airplane to the right and the airplane's propeller struck the refueling truck causing substantial damage to the right wing and damage to the rear bumper and main storage tank of the refueling truck. The pilot was able to shut down the engine before the propeller ruptured the tank containing the aviation gasoline. There was no post crash fire and the pilot was not injured.
Factual narrative
The 72 hour private pilot was taxiing from the pilot school ramp and was about to depart on a solo long cross country flight when the airport ground controller called him on the radio. The pilot became distracted while taxiing and failed to notice the 2,000 gallon aviation gasoline refueling truck in front of him and collided with the right rear of the refueling truck. The impact forces of right wing of the airplane striking the refueling truck spun the airplane to the right and the airplane's propeller struck the refueling truck causing substantial damage to the right wing and the propeller of the airplane and damage to the rear bumper and main storage tank of the refueling truck. The pilot was able to shut down the engine before the propeller ruptured the tank containing the aviation gasoline. There was no post crash fire and the pilot was not injured.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N9144H
- Reported as
- Cessna 172M
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 17265972
- Airframe hours
- 13,438
- Engine
- Lycoming O-32, 160 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Operator
- Wright Flyers Aviation Inc.
- Registered owner
- Wright Flyers Holdings LLC
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Utility; Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · April 1, 2008 · 53 hours before
- Departed
- SAT · San Antonio, TX
- Destination
- JCT · Junction, TX
- Flight plan
- Unknown
- Airport
- SAT · San Antonio Intl
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
- 20
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 2, With waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- May 1, 2008
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 72 total · 30 in this make and model · 30 in the last 90 days · 21 in the last 30 days · 2 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 160° at 10 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 7,000 ft broken
- Temperature
- 91 °F, dew point 61 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.04 inHg
- Observed at
- KSAT
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.