- Date
- August 8, 1995, 11:30 local (17:30 UTC)
- Place
- Panguitch, UT
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Taxi
- Aircraft
- N23AFPiper PA-28-151
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report April 18, 1996
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19950808023689A
- Case key
- 42215
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 misjudgment of the distance from the sign post.
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 stated that he landed the airplane on a dirt road next to an airport that had been closed. The airport manager reportedly allowed the pilot to land on the road. The road was parallel to the runway, and the pilot had landed on it during previous occasions. As he taxied to parking, the road began to curve right. The pilot stated that he 'felt a little push of the tail to the left' due to a wind gust. During this time, the left wing of the airplane struck a sign post and separated. The pilot stated that he was looking at the post prior to impacting it, but he did not think that the airplane was in a position to hit it.
Factual narrative
On August 8, 1995, about 1130 mountain daylight time, N23AF, a Piper PA-28-151, operated by Aero West Aviation, Inc., collided with an object while taxiing in Panguitch, Utah, and was substantially damaged. The private pilot, the sole occupant, was not injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed and no flight plan had been filed. The business flight departed from St. George, Utah, and was conducted under 14 CFR 91.
According to the pilot, he landed the airplane on a dirt road next to the Panguitch Airport. The airport was closed at the time, but the airport manager reportedly allowed the pilot to land on the road. The road is parallel to the runway, and the pilot reported that he had landed on it during previous occasions.
After an uneventful landing and rollout, the pilot taxied to parking. As he taxied, the road began to curve to the right. The pilot stated that he "felt a little push of the tail to the left" due to a wind gust. During this time, the left wing of the airplane struck a sign post and separated. The pilot stated that he was looking at the post prior to impacting it, but he did not think that the airplane was in a position to hit it. No preimpact mechanical deficiencies were reported.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N23AF
- Reported as
- Piper PA-28-151
- Category
- Airplane
- Engine
- Lycoming O-320-E3D, 150 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Business · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Aero West Aviation, Inc.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Departed
- SGU · St. George, UT
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
- 51
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 932 total · 17 in this make and model · 892 as pilot in command · 125 in the last 90 days · 2 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 310° at 9 knots
- Visibility
- 25 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 86 °F, dew point 43 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- CDC, 30 nm away
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.