NTSB CAROL · Event
Event ANC12CA015
Registry · N9FW
FAA Aircraft Registry record.
Make / Model
PIPER PA-31-350
Year of manufacture
1974 · 37 years old at event
Engine
LYCOMING TI0-540 SER (310 hp)
Seats / Engines
8 seats · 2 engines
Last airworthiness date
19740706
ADS-B equipped
Yes — Mode-S AC6B0C
Registrant of record
WRIGHT AIR SERVICE INC
Source: FAA Aircraft Registry (releasable master file).
Aircraft involved
Probable cause & findings
The pilot did not clear the area surrounding the airplane prior to taxi, resulting in the airplane contacting a piece of baggage.
Factual narrative
The operator reported that after loading the twin-engine airplane, the pilot had started to taxi, when the left engine's propeller struck a piece of baggage on the ramp. The propeller picked up the baggage and threw it onto the upper left side of the fuselage, resulting in substantial damage. The operator reported that, after loading the airplane, the pilot started to taxi, and the left engine's propeller struck a piece of baggage that was left on the ramp after a prior flight. The propeller picked up the baggage and threw it onto the upper left side of the fuselage, resulting in substantial damage. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database Retrieved: 2026-02-12
NTSB Findings
Hierarchical cause / factor breakdown from the FAA bulk avdata database. Each finding tagged C (Cause) or F (Factor).
- C Personnel issues-Task performance-Inspection-Preflight inspection-Pilot - C
- C Environmental issues-Physical environment-Object/animal/substance-(general)-Contributed to outcome - C
Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file
NTSB_2011_ANC12CA015.txt.
Findings + structured fields enriched from FAA avall.mdb.
Full investigation docket on
data.ntsb.gov ↗.
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