- Date
- January 4, 2011, 10:55 local (17:55 UTC)
- Place
- Wickenburg, AZ
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Taxi
- Aircraft
- N443PAPiper PA-28-181
- Defining event
- Taxi-from runway: Ground collision
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report May 26, 2011
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- Western Pacific Region
- Parties
- Federal Aviation Administration
- FAA report
- 20110104000079A
- Case key
- 78100
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 between the airplane's right wing and the pole.
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
While parking the airplane, the student pilot noticed a pole by the parking area. He thought that there was adequate clearance between the right wing and the pole. However, the leading edge of the right wing contacted the pole and resulted in substantial damage to the spar.
Factual narrative
The student pilot submitted a written statement. He had landed at his destination and was taxiing to parking. While parking the airplane, he noticed a pole by the parking area. He thought that there was adequate clearance between the right wing and the pole. However, the leading edge of the right wing contacted the pole and resulted in damage to the spar.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N443PA
- Reported as
- Piper PA-28-181
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 2843499
- Airframe hours
- 11,659
- Engine
- Lycoming O-360-A4M, 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 · January 3, 2011 · 6 hours before
- Departed
- E63 · Gila Bend, AZ
- Destination
- E25 · Wickenburg, AZ
- Airport
- E25 · Wickenburg Municipal 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
- 22
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Student
- Medical
- Class 3, With waivers/limitations
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 77 total · 77 in this make and model · 5 as pilot in command · 71 in the last 90 days · 26 in the last 30 days · 3 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 190° at 3 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 48 °F, dew point 37 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.22 inHg
- Observed at
- KBXK, 33 nm away
Docket · 1
The files NTSB released with the investigation on January 21, 2011, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 1.2 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.