- Date
- July 8, 1990, 19:35 local (23:35 UTC)
- Place
- Washington, PA
- Injuries
- 10 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Taxi
- Aircraft
- N35551Piper PA-31-350
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report November 9, 1992
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19900708024879A
- Case key
- 36684
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 clearance from objects while taxiing, and his visual lookout was inadequate.
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 pilot was taxiing for a local sightseeing flight with 9 passengers when the airplane struck a beverage stand located beside the taxiway. The pilot said he was giving his passengers a pre-takeoff briefing when the accident occurred. The taxiway had previously been closed for an airshow and was reopened after the airshow. The FAA said the stand was located 20 ft 2 in from the centerline of the taxiway. The airplane has a 40 ft 8 in wing span.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N35551
- Reported as
- Piper PA-31-350
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 31-8052063
- Airframe hours
- 3,826
- Engine
- Lycoming TFO-540-J2BD, 350 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Part 91
- Operator
- Castle Aviation, Inc.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · July 7, 1990 · 2 hours before
- Airport
- AFJ · Washington
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
- 37
- Certificate
- Airline transport
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 6,000 total · 3,900 in this make and model · 5,800 as pilot in command · 250 in the last 90 days · 80 in the last 30 days · 3 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Visibility
- 5 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 90 °F
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.