- Date
- April 4, 1989, 15:57 local (23:57 UTC)
- Place
- Salinas, CA
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Taxi
- Aircraft
- N59973Piper PA-31-350
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report June 28, 1991
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19890404005749A
- Case key
- 26368
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 proper taxiway alignment, when he diverted his attention, while taxiing. The location of the parked aircraft was a related factor.
Sequence of events
NTSB’s coding before 2008: each occurrence and phase of flight, and the causes and factors under it. The codes are defined in NTSB’s coding manual.
Analysis
While taxiing for takeoff, the pilot's attention was diverted to set the transponder. Subsequently, the airplane went off the taxiway & collided with a parked unoccupied airplane.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N59973
- Reported as
- Piper PA-31-350
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 31-7552079
- Airframe hours
- 5,256
- Engine
- Lycoming TIO-540-J2BD, 350 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Positioning · Part 91
- Operator
- Ameriflight
- Registered owner
- Ameriflight Inc.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- AAIP · March 17, 1989 · 39 hours before
- Destination
- 307 · Hollister, CA
- Flight plan
- Company VFR
- Airport
- SNS · Salinas
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
- 22
- Certificates
- Flight instructor, Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 1,897 total · 85 in this make and model · 1,800 as pilot in command · 160 in the last 90 days · 40 in the last 30 days · 2 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Visibility
- 20 statute miles
- Temperature
- 81 °F
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.