- Date
- May 28, 2009, 12:15 local (18:15 UTC)
- Place
- Grangeville, ID
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Taxi
- Aircraft
- N25353Piper PA-38-112
- Defining event
- Taxi-from runway: Wrong surface or wrong airport
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report August 13, 2009
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- Western Pacific Region
- Parties
- Federal Aviation Administration FSDO
- FAA report
- 20090528008549A
- Case key
- 73942
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 an obstacle during taxi.
Findings · 3
NTSB’s coded findings. Those marked are part of the probable cause; the rest are factors or other findings. Under each, the cases with the same finding.
Sequence of events
The events NTSB coded, in order, by phase of flight. The defining event is the one that best describes the accident. Under each, the cases with the same event anywhere in their sequence.
Analysis
The student pilot landed the airplane and exited the runway at a taxiway. As he taxied the airplane to a fueling facility he inadvertently turned onto a roadway designated for automobile traffic. A short time later he became distracted by an automobile, and the left wing struck a sign post. The airplane then departed the roadway and came to rest in a ditch. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the left wing during the accident sequence.
Factual narrative
The student pilot landed the airplane and exited the runway at a taxiway. As he taxied the airplane to a fueling facility he inadvertently turned onto a roadway designated for automobile traffic. A short time later he became distracted by an automobile, and the left wing struck a sign post. The airplane then departed the roadway and came to rest in a ditch. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the left wing during the accident sequence.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N25353
- Reported as
- Piper PA-38-112
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 38-80A0115
- Airframe hours
- 4,843
- Engine
- Lycoming O-235, 115 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Utility; Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Condition · June 1, 2008
- Departed
- S73 · Kamiah, ID
- Destination
- S80 · Grangeville, ID
- Airport
- S80 · Grangeville, runway 25, 5,101 × 75 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
- Student pilot
- Age
- 43
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Student
- Medical
- Class 3, Without waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- May 29, 2009
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 50 total · 47 in this make and model · 19 as pilot in command · 18 in the last 90 days · 8 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- Variable at 3 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 81 °F, dew point 41 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.02 inHg
- Observed at
- LWS, 45 nm away
Docket · 1
The files NTSB released with the investigation on June 17, 2009, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 304 KB in all.
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 N25353 · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.