- Date
- September 7, 2010, 09:42 local (16:42 UTC)
- Place
- Paradise Lakes Estates, CA
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Taxi
- Aircraft
- N32025Piper PA-28-235
- Defining event
- Taxi-to runway: Ground collision
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report December 20, 2010
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- Western Pacific Region
- Parties
- FAA FSDO
- FAA report
- 20100907045709A
- Case key
- 77233
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 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 pilot reported that he was taxiing to the run up area when the right wing collided with a chain link fence. The right wing tip tank caught fire, and the airplane turned to the right, coming to a stop with the nose into the fence. The right wing sustained crush damage and fire damage. About a year before this accident, the airport’s water well had become inoperative, and a new well was installed with the chain link fence around it, closer to the taxiway. A Federal Aviation Administration inspector reported that the fence line (on the right side) to taxiway centerline is 19 feet. The tree line (on the left side) to taxiway centerline is 25 feet. The airplane's total wingspan is 33 feet.
Factual narrative
The pilot reported that he was taxiing to the run up area when the right wing collided with a chain link fence. The right wing tip tank caught fire, and the airplane turned to the right, coming to a stop with the nose into the fence. The right wing sustained crush damage and fire damage. About a year before this accident, the airport’s water well had become inoperative, and a new well was installed with the chain link fence around it, closer to the taxiway. A Federal Aviation Administration inspector reported that the fence line (on the right side) to taxiway centerline is 19 feet. The tree line (on the left side) to taxiway centerline is 25 feet. The airplane's total wingspan is 33 feet.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N32025
- Reported as
- Piper PA-28-235
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 28-7510008
- Airframe hours
- 3,170
- Engine
- Textron Lycoming O-540-B4B5, 235 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Joseph R Biafora, Jr
- Registered owner
- Joseph R Biafora, Jr
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · November 6, 2009 · 50 hours before
- Departed
- 7CA2 · Paradise Lakes Estates, CA
- Destination
- VNY · Van Nuys, CA
- Airport
- 7CA2 · Paradise Lake Airport
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
- 53
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 3, With waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- June 24, 2010
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 1,050 total · 700 in this make and model · 50 in the last 90 days · 20 in the last 30 days · 5 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 180° at 4 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 75 °F, dew point 48 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.77 inHg
- Observed at
- KBFL, 16 nm away
Docket · 2
The files NTSB released with the investigation on November 2, 2010, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 679 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 N32025 · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.