Event ERA15LA224

Factual narrative

On May 27, 2015, at 1625 eastern daylight time, a Cessna 337F, N1732M, was substantially damaged when it struck a building and a communications antenna while taxiing at the Melbourne International Airport (MLB), Melbourne, Florida. The pilot and passenger were not injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and an instrument flight rules flight plan was filed for the personal flight, which was destined for Dayton, Ohio. The flight was conducted under the provisions of Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91.According to a police report, the pilot requested a taxi clearance from the north ramp area to runway 9L. The tower controller advised the pilot that his clearance to Dayton, Ohio had expired, and instructed him to return to the ramp. The pilot's speech was "slurred" and he did not follow any of the controller's instructions. The pilot then taxied west on taxiway kilo toward the departure end of runway 9L. The airplane then went off the end of the taxiway and immediately turned right toward a building that was located about 200 feet away and abeam the taxiway end. The airplane impacted the building and an adjacent communications antenna. At 1626, the controller contacted the airport police and urged them to respond quickly because he "felt that the pilot may be intoxicated and they heard the screams of a young child onboard." The police arrived on scene at 1640 and detected an odor of alcohol from the pilot. A search of the airplane revealed an unopened bottle of wine, one opened bottle of liquor about half full and an opened "water" bottle that contained a clear liquid with an odor of alcohol. After the pilot refused to take an alcohol breathalyzer and field sobriety test he was taken into custody and charged under Florida State Statute with "Operation of an aircraft while intoxicated or in a careless or reckless manner." According to a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) inspector, the airplane came to rest against a small building located along the airport perimeter fence. The leading edge of the left wing sustained substantial damage, and the front engine propeller tips were bent forward and gouged. The aircraft examination was completed by an airframe and powerplant mechanic and supervised by the airport operations director. Examination of the flight control systems, nosewheel steering, and brake system revealed no anomalies that could have precluded normal operation. The pilot held a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) private pilot certificate with ratings for airplane single engine land, multiengine land (limited to centerline thrust) and instrument Airplane. He also held a third-class medical certificate, which was issued on November 13, 2014 with a limitation of "must wear corrective lenses." At that time, he reported 1,238 total flight hours experience. While taxiing, the private pilot did not follow the controller's instructions and his speech was slurred. The airplane then taxied off the end of a taxiway and turned right toward a building that was located about 200 ft away and abeam the taxiway end. The airplane impacted the building and an adjacent communications antenna, resulting in substantial damage to the left wing. Law enforcement personnel arrived about 15 minutes later and detected an odor of alcohol from the pilot. A search of the airplane revealed an unopened bottle of wine, one half-full bottle of liquor, and an open water bottle that contained a clear liquid with an odor of alcohol. The pilot refused to take an alcohol breathalyzer and field sobriety test. He was subsequently taken into custody and charged under a state statute for operation of an aircraft while intoxicated. Examination of the airplane did not reveal any preimpact mechanical malfunctions. 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-Use of equip/info-Aircraft control-Pilot - C
• C Aircraft-Aircraft oper/perf/capability-Performance/control parameters-Directional control-Not attained/maintained - C
• F Personnel issues-Physical-Impairment/incapacitation-Alcohol-Pilot - F
• — Environmental issues-Physical environment-Object/animal/substance-Airport structure-Ability to respond/compensate