- Date
- May 23, 2019, 16:35 local (23:35 UTC)
- Place
- Nogalas, AZ
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Taxi
- Aircraft
- N273EBCessna 172
- Defining event
- Taxi: Ground collision
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report April 13, 2020
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- General Aviation Accidents
- FAA report
- 20190523005079A
- Case key
- 99548
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 adequate clearance from a parked fuel truck. Contributing to the accident were the student’s failure to follow company policy and the flight instructor’s delayed remedial action.
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
The flight instructor reported that, after landing, he gave the controls to the student to let him taxi to the ramp. After entering the ramp, the student taxied the airplane toward an unoccupied parking spot. The instructor added that, per company policy, the student was taught to stop the airplane perpendicular to the landing spot, shut down the engine, and use the tow bar to back the airplane into the unoccupied spot. As the student passed a parked fuel truck adjacent the parking spot, he made a left turn and started maneuvering the airplane into the parking spot instead of following company policy. During the left turn, the instructor saw that the left wingtip was getting close to the truck, so he applied brakes and told the student to stop the airplane, but the left wing struck the truck. The student reported that he did not follow company policy. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the left-wing spar. The chief flight instructor reported that there were no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.
Factual narrative
The flight instructor reported that, after landing, he gave the controls to the student to let him taxi to the ramp. After entering the ramp, the student taxied the airplane towards an unoccupied parking spot. The instructor added that the student was taught to stop the airplane perpendicular to the landing spot, shut down the engine, and use the tow bar to back the airplane into the unoccupied spot, per company policy. The instructor further reported that as the student passed a parked fuel truck adjacent the parking spot, he maneuvered the airplane into the parking spot instead of following company policy and during the left turn, the instructor saw that the left-wing tip was getting close to the truck, so he applied brakes and told the student to stop the airplane, but the airplane's left wing struck the truck. The student reported that he did not follow company policy. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the left-wing spar. The chief flight instructor reported that there were no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N273EB
- Reported as
- Cessna 172 (N)
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 17271018
- Built
- 1978
- Airframe hours
- 11,391.2
- Engine
- Lycoming O-360-A4M, 180 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Operator
- Westwind School of Aeronautics Phoenix LLC
- Registered owner
- Westwind School of Aeronautics Phoenix LLC
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Utility; Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · May 21, 2019
- Departed
- DVT · Phoenix, AZ
- Destination
- OLS · Nogales, AZ
- Airport
- OLS · Nogales Intl
- Equipment
- 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 · 2
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Flight instructor
- Age
- 32
- Injuries
- None
- Certificates
- Flight instructor, Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, Without waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- May 3, 2019
- Seat
- Right
- Flight hours
- 336 total · 270 in this make and model · 201 as pilot in command · 53 in the last 90 days · 33 in the last 30 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
- Role
- Student pilot
- Age
- 32
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Student
- Medical
- Unknown
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 258 total · 248 in this make and model · 119 as pilot in command · 41 in the last 90 days · 41 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 73 °F, dew point 18 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.97 inHg
- Observed at
- KOLS
Docket · 4
The files NTSB released with the investigation on January 10, 2020, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 1.3 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.