- Date
- June 13, 2026, 12:15 local (16:15 UTC)
- Place
- Fredericksburg, VA
- Injuries
- 3 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Taxi
- Aircraft
- N505CPTextron 182T
- Defining event
- Taxi: Ground collision
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report September 11, 2026
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Investigation class
- Class 4 - Basic report with no Prelim publish
- NTSB office
- Eastern Region Aviation
- Parties
- FAA/FSDO
- FAA report
- 20260613008729A
- Case key
- 203442
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 distraction during taxi, which resulted in a taxiway excursion.
Findings · 1
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 reported that, while taxing from the ramp to the runway, he became distracted by a helicopter to the right and perpendicular to the airplane. While he observed the helicopter, the pilot inadvertently taxied into a grassy area and subsequently impacted a drainage pipe. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the fuselage. The pilot reported that there were no mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane prior to the accident.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N505CP
- Reported as
- Textron 182T
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 18283070
- Built
- 2019
- Engine
- Lycoming Engines IO-540-AB1A5, 230 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Aerial observation · Part 91
- Operator
- Civil Air Patrol
- Registered owner
- Civil Air Patrol
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · October 16, 2025
- Airport
- EZF · Shannon
- Equipment
- Electronic primary flight display, Electronic multifunction display, Auto-pilot, ADS-B, Stall warning system
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
- 80
- Injuries
- None
- Certificates
- Private, Flight instructor, Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine sea, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- BasicMed, Without waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- April 6, 2026
- Seat
- Left
- Restraint
- 3-point
- Flight hours
- 4,713 total · 1,461 in this make and model · 4,639 as pilot in command · 35 in the last 90 days · 3.7 in the last 30 days · 1.6 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 290° at 5 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Temperature
- 32 °F, dew point 32 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.96 inHg
- Observed at
- EZF
- METAR
- METAR KEZF 131735Z AUTO 29005KT 10SM SCT055 A2996 RMK AO2=
Docket · 2
The files NTSB released with the investigation on September 11, 2026, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 4.7 MB in all.
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.