- Date
- January 24, 2018, 18:50 local (Jan 25, 2018, 00:50 UTC)
- Place
- Boerne, TX
- Injuries
- 1 minor
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Taxi
- Aircraft
- N56548Maule M 6
- Defining event
- Taxi: Ground collision
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Night
- Status
- Completed · report July 5, 2018
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- General Aviation Accidents
- Parties
- FAA
- FAA report
- 20180124001619A
- Case key
- 96652
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 ground vehicle driver’s decision to drive on an active taxiway at night and failure to yield to taxiing aircraft, resulting in a collision with a taxiing aircraft.
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
According to the pilot, during taxi at night, he turned off his anti-collision lights because they were, "creating a disco effect." On the taxiway, and heading to his hangar, he noticed an automobile that was converging on the same taxiway. The pilot expected the automobile to turn off the taxiway. When the vehicle did not turn, the pilot increased the throttle and turned the lights on and off to get the drivers attention. However, the automobile and the airplane collided. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the forward right-side fuselage and the right-wing. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.
Factual narrative
According to the pilot, during taxi at night, he turned off his anti-collision lights because they were, "creating a disco effect." On the taxiway, and heading to his hangar, he noticed an automobile that was converging on the same taxiway. The pilot expected the automobile to turn off the taxiway. When the vehicle did not turn, the pilot increased throttle and turned the lights on and off to get the drivers attention. However, the automobile and the airplane collided. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the forward right-side fuselage and the right-wing. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N56548
- Reported as
- Maule M 6 (235)
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 7444C
- Built
- 1983
- Airframe hours
- 1,206.8
- Engine
- Lycoming IO-540-W1A5D, 235 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Alas Viejas LLC
- Registered owner
- Alas Viejas LLC
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · November 3, 2017
- Departed
- 24R · Dilley, TX
- Destination
- 24R · Dilley, TX
- Airport
- 5C1 · Boerne Stage Field, runway 17, 5,006 × 60 ft, asphalt
- Equipment
- Stall warning system, Handheld GPS, Auto-pilot
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
- 40
- Injuries
- Minor
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Without waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- July 16, 2016
- Seat
- Front
- Restraint
- 4-point
- Flight hours
- 577 total · 188 in this make and model · 511 as pilot in command · 6 in the last 90 days · 2 in the last 30 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Night
- Wind
- Calm
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Temperature
- 54 °F, dew point 19 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.42 inHg
- Observed at
- KSAT, 15 nm away
Docket · 2
The files NTSB released with the investigation on May 17, 2018, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 3.7 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.