- Date
- September 21, 2009, 10:30 local (17:30 UTC)
- Place
- San Carlos, CA
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Taxi
- Aircraft
- N21591Cessna 172S
- Defining event
- Taxi-to runway: Ground collision
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report December 15, 2009
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- Western Pacific Region
- Parties
- Federal Aviation Administration
- Case key
- 74784
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 student pilot's failure to maintain clearance with a fence post during taxi.
Findings · 2
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's attention was momentarily diverted as he was taxiing around another airplane to the runup area. The pilot subsequently heard the right wing impact a fence post, which resulted in substantial damage to the wing's leading edge.
Factual narrative
The student pilot reported that his attention was momentarily diverted as he was taxiing around another airplane to the runup area. The pilot subsequently heard the right wing impact a fence post, which resulted in substantial damage to the wing's leading edge.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N21591
- Reported as
- Cessna 172S
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 172S9658
- Airframe hours
- 2,450
- Engine
- Lycoming IO-360-L2A, 180 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Operator
- Scott A.W. Ellison
- Registered owner
- Golden Gate Helicopters Inc.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · April 17, 2009
- Departed
- SQL · San Carlos, CA
- Destination
- SQL · San Carlos, CA
- Flight plan
- Unknown
- Airport
- SQL · San Carlos, runway 12, 2,600 × 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
- 37
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Student
- Medical
- Class 3, Without waivers/limitations
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 108 total · 108 in this make and model · 15 as pilot in command · 20 in the last 90 days · 12 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- Variable at 4 knots
- Visibility
- 5 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 64 °F, dew point 59 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.01 inHg
- Observed at
- SQL
Docket · 1
The files NTSB released with the investigation on September 28, 2009, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 668 KB in all.