- Date
- April 8, 2018, 10:17 local (17:17 UTC)
- Place
- Tucson, AZ
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Taxi
- Aircraft
- N4400WPiper PA 28
- Defining event
- Taxi: Ground collision
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report July 5, 2018
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- General Aviation Accidents
- Parties
- FAA
- Case key
- 97013
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 student pilot’s failure to maintain clearance from a stationary pole while parking.
Findings · 5
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 student pilot reported that, while taxiing to park, he aligned the airplane with the parking spot, added power to make the turn, and then heard a "boom." He shut the engine down and examined the airplane and found that the left wing had hit a pole. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the left-wing rear spar. The flight safety officer for the operator reported that there were no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation. The safety officer further reported that the company policy was to shut down the airplane on the yellow taxiway centerline before pushing the airplane back into the parking spot. He added that, after interviewing other flight crews, he learned that flight instructors had been demonstrating incorrect parking methods to students, including the student who taxied into the pole.
Factual narrative
The student pilot reported that, while taxiing to park, he aligned the airplane with the parking spot, added power to make the turn, and then heard a "boom". He added that, he shut the engine down, checked what happened, and realized that the left wing had hit a pole. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the left-wing rear spar. The flight safety officer for the operator reported that there were no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation. The safety officer further reported that, the company policy was to shut down the airplane on the yellow taxiway centerline before pushing the airplane back into the parking spot. He added that, after interviewing other flight crews, he learned that flight instructors had been demonstrating incorrect parking methods to students, including the student who taxied into the pole.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N4400W
- Reported as
- Piper PA 28 (181)
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 2843713
- Built
- 2013
- Airframe hours
- 5,433.3
- Engine
- Lycoming O-360-A4M, 180 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Operator
- Cae Oxford Aviation Academy Phoenix Inc
- Registered owner
- Cae Oxford Aviation Academy Phoenix Inc
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Utility; Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Continuous airworthiness · April 6, 2018
- Departed
- FFZ · Mesa, AZ
- Destination
- RYN · Tucson, AZ
- Flight plan
- VFR
- Airport
- RYN · Ryan Field, runway 24R, 4,900 × 75 ft, asphalt
- Equipment
- Video recording device, Stall warning system, Electronic primary flight display, Electronic multifunction display, Data recorder, 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
- Student pilot
- Age
- 19
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Student
- Medical
- Class 3, Without waivers/limitations
- Seat
- Left
- Restraint
- 3-point
- Flight hours
- 119 total · 104 in this make and model · 54 as pilot in command · 89 in the last 90 days · 41 in the last 30 days · 2 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 250° at 11 knots, gusting 15
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 82 °F, dew point 39 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.94 inHg
- Observed at
- KRYN, 1 nm away
Docket · 3
The files NTSB released with the investigation on June 12, 2018, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 1.1 MB in all.