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CEN12CA084

2011-11-22 · Moline, Illinois, United States · None · 1 aircraft · Status: Completed

Airport MLI

N544PS has since been reassigned. It is now registered to a different aircraft (BEECH HAWKER 800XP, built 2000), which was not involved in this event.

Aircraft involved

Probable cause & findings

The pilot's failure to maintain clearance from the parked, unoccupied airplane while taxiing. Contributing to the accident was the guidance provided by the marshaller.

Factual narrative

After landing in dark night conditions, the pilot was taxing the airplane with the airplane's taxi lights illuminated on a ramp while paying attention to the ramp marshaller. The pilot originally thought the marshaller would have him park directly in the position next to the fixed based operator; however, the marshaller had the pilot execute a left 180-degree turn and park with the cabin door facing the door of the building. While watching the marshaller outside the right cockpit window, the pilot lost sight of a parked, unoccupied airplane, which he observed when he began entering the ramp. The pilot then noticed the parked airplane and attempted to stop; however, his airplane's left wing made contact with the parked airplane's forward fuselage and nose landing gear. Postaccident examination of the airplane showed the left wing was crushed and bent. The pilot reported that there were no mechanical anomalies with the airplane prior to the contact with the parked airplane. After landing at night, the pilot was taxiing the airplane on a ramp with the airplane's taxi lights illuminated and was paying attention to the ramp marshaller. The pilot originally thought the marshaller would have him park in the position directly next to the fixed base operator; however, the marshaller had the pilot execute a left 180-degree turn and park with the cabin door facing the door of the building. While watching the marshaller outside the right cockpit window, the pilot lost sight of a parked, unoccupied airplane. The pilot then noticed the parked airplane and attempted to stop; however, the airplane's left wing contacted the parked airplane's forward fuselage and nose landing gear. A postaccident examination of the accident airplane showed that the left wing was crushed and bent. The pilot reported that there were no mechanical anomalies with the airplane prior to the contact with the parked airplane. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database Retrieved: 2026-02-12

NTSB Findings

FAA avdata. C = Cause, F = Factor.

  • C Personnel issues-Task performance-(general)-(general)-Pilot - C
  • F Personnel issues-Task performance-Communication (personnel)-Issuing instructions-Ground crew - F

Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file NTSB_2011_CEN12CA084.txt. Findings + structured fields enriched from FAA avall.mdb. Full investigation docket on data.ntsb.gov ↗.

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