- Date
- July 31, 1987, 17:00 local (21:00 UTC)
- Place
- Groton, CT
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Taxi
- Aircraft
- N53461Cessna 172
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report February 14, 1989
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19870731082059A
- Case key
- 30715
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
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
The aircraft was taxiing to the ramp after landing. While the pilot was maneuvering the aircraft into a parking space, the aircraft was positioned in such a way that the sun had blinded him temporarily. As the pilot turned the aircraft the left wing contacted the light pole.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N53461
- Reported as
- Cessna 172
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 17274756
- Engine
- Lycoming O-320-D2J, 160 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Aviation East
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Departed
- MA07 · Norfork, MA
- Destination
- GON · Groton, CT
- Airport
- GON · Groton, runway 23, 5,000 × 150 ft, asphalt
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
- 23
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Flight hours
- 244 total · 53 in this make and model · 129 as pilot in command · 26 in the last 90 days · 2 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Lowest ceiling
- None
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.
Other investigations on N53461 · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.