- Date
- December 8, 2010, 09:50 local (16:50 UTC)
- Place
- Phoenix, AZ
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Taxi
- Aircraft
- N418PAPiper PA-28-181
- Defining event
- Taxi-from runway: Ground collision
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report May 16, 2011
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- Western Pacific Region
- Parties
- Federal Aviation Administration
- FAA report
- 20101208054009A
- Case key
- 78099
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 from obstacles while taxiing.
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
After landing, the student pilot was cleared to taxi to the ramp area at his flight school. The student pilot stated that he was taxiing along the taxiway centerline and nearing the ramp area when he observed an airplane holding at an adjacent ramp area. He said that while taxiing in front of the airplane he did not think there was enough room to safely pass, so he maneuvered his airplane to the right to avoid the other airplane. After passing the airplane, the right wing tip hit a parked fuel truck. The airplane yawed to the right, contacted two other parked trucks, and came to a stop. The damage was reported to the NTSB approximately one month after the accident, following the identification of structural damage to the right wing leading edge and rear carry through spar.
Factual narrative
After landing, the student pilot was cleared to taxi to the ramp area at his flight school. The student pilot stated that he was taxiing along the centerline and nearing the ramp area when he observed an airplane holding at an adjacent ramp area. He said that while taxiing in front of the airplane he did not think there was enough room to safely pass, so he maneuvered his airplane to the right to avoid the other airplane. After passing the airplane, the right wing tip hit a parked fuel truck. The airplane yawed to the right, contacted two other parked trucks, and came to a stop. The damage was reported to the NTSB on January 3, 2011, following the identification of structural damage to the right wing leading edge and rear carry through spar.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N418PA
- Reported as
- Piper PA-28-181 (181)
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 2843414
- Airframe hours
- 11,602
- Engine
- Lycoming IO-360, 180 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Operator
- Bird Acquisition LLC, doing business as Transpac Aviation Academy
- Registered owner
- Bird Acquisition LLC
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Continuous airworthiness · December 4, 2010 · 20 hours before
- Departed
- DVT · Phoenix, AZ
- Destination
- DVT · Phoenix, AZ
- Airport
- DVT · Phoenix Deer Valley 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
- Student pilot
- Age
- 21
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Student
- Medical
- Class 3, Without waivers/limitations
- Flight hours
- 37 total · 37 in this make and model
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- Calm
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
Docket · 4
The files NTSB released with the investigation on January 28, 2011, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 2.1 MB 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.