- Date
- August 4, 2005, 13:30 local (20:30 UTC)
- Place
- Hoquiam, WA
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Taxi
- Aircraft
- N724TMCessna 172M
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report October 27, 2005
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 20050804016339A
- Case key
- 62147
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 a fence. The fence was a 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
The student pilot reported that as he was departing from the fuel island for taxi to the runway, he did not turn far enough to maintain wingtip clearance from a chain link fence just outside of the maneuvering area boundary line around the fuel island. The wing impacted a fence post, resulting in the aircraft pivoting to the left around the post and then nosing into the fence. The left wing contacted the post about five feet inboard from the wing tip, damaging the leading edge and the aileron. The pilot reported no mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airplane at the time of the accident.
Factual narrative
On August 4, 2005, about 1330 Pacific daylight time, a Cessna 172M, N724TM, registered to Morcom Aviation Services, doing business as Regal Air, as a 14 CFR Part 91 solo instructional flight, collided with a fence pole during taxi to takeoff at Bowerman Airport, Hoquiam, Washington. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time and a visual flight rules flight plan was filed. The aircraft was substantially damaged and the student pilot, the sole occupant, was not injured.
The student pilot reported that as he was departing from the fuel island for taxi to the runway and he did not turn far enough to maintain wingtip clearance from a chain link fence just outside of the maneuvering area boundary line around the fuel island. The wing impacted a fence post, resulting in the aircraft pivoting to the left around the post and then nosing into the fence. The left wing contacted the post about five feet inboard from the wing tip, damaging the leading edge and the aileron.
The pilot reported no mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airplane at the time of the accident.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N724TM
- Reported as
- Cessna 172M
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 17262971
- Engine
- Lycoming O-320-E2D, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Morcom Aviation Services
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Departed
- Hoquiam, WA
- Destination
- PAE · Everett, WA
- Flight plan
- VFR
- Airport
- HQM · Bowerman, runway 24
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
- 67
- Certificate
- Student
- Medical
- Class 3
- Flight hours
- 83 total · 16 in this make and model
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.