Skip to content

Atlas / NTSB / ERA15CA093

NTSB CAROL · Event

Event ERA15CA093

2015-01-01 Apalachicola, Florida, United States Airport · AAF None 1 aircraft Status: Completed

Registry · N657MC

FAA Aircraft Registry record.

Make / Model

ALLEN ARNOLD R RUSTLER

Engine

LYCOMING 0-290 SERIES (140 hp)

Seats / Engines

2 seats · 1 engine

Last airworthiness date

19980402

ADS-B equipped

Yes — Mode-S A8A7D1

Registrant of record

POTTS ROBERT G JR

Source: FAA Aircraft Registry (releasable master file).

Aircraft involved

Probable cause & findings

The pilot's inadequate visual lookout while taxiing, which resulted in the airplane striking a pole.

Factual narrative

After landing, the pilot taxied to the fixed base operator to park. As he approached the parking ramp, a lineman stood in front of a tie-down spot and raised both hands in the air signaling to the pilot where to park. The spot was next to a parked jet. The pilot said that while taxing to the parking spot he was concentrating on staying clear of the jet and did not see a light pole located at the edge of the ramp. The right wing struck the pole resulting in structural damage to the wing. After landing, the pilot taxied to the fixed base operator to park. As he approached the parking ramp, a lineman stood in front of a tie-down spot and raised both hands in the air signaling to the pilot where to park. The spot was next to a parked jet. The pilot said that while taxing to the parking spot he was concentrating on staying clear of the jet and did not see a light pole located at the edge of the ramp. The right wing struck the pole resulting in structural damage to the wing. 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-Psychological-Attention/monitoring-Monitoring environment-Pilot - C

Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file NTSB_2015_ERA15CA093.txt. Findings + structured fields enriched from FAA avall.mdb. Full investigation docket on data.ntsb.gov ↗.