NTSB CAROL · Event
Event GAA18CA528
Registry · N97WC
FAA Aircraft Registry record.
Make / Model
BEECH B200
Year of manufacture
1990 · 28 years old at event
Engine
P&W PT6A SER (750 hp)
Seats / Engines
11 seats · 2 engines
Last airworthiness date
19910228
ADS-B equipped
Yes — Mode-S AD8343
Registrant of record
HF AIR LLC
Source: FAA Aircraft Registry (releasable master file).
Aircraft involved
Probable cause & findings
The flight instructor's and pilot receiving instruction's failure to maintain clearance from a tree while taxiing.
Factual narrative
The flight instructor reported that, with the pilot receiving instruction on the controls, they were instructed by ground personnel to "do a 180º turn and park." During the right turn, after clearing a vehicle, the left wing struck a tree. Prior to impact, the flight instructor saw the tree and tried to apply brakes. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the left wing. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation. The flight instructor reported that, with the pilot receiving instruction on the controls and while taxiing to parking, ground personnel instructed them to turn 180º and then park. The instructor added that, during the right turn, after clearing a vehicle, he saw a tree and tried to apply brakes, but the airplane impacted the tree. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the left wing. The operator's director of maintenance reported that there were no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation. 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-Instructor/check pilot - C
- C Personnel issues-Psychological-Attention/monitoring-Monitoring environment-Student/instructed pilot - C
- C Environmental issues-Physical environment-Object/animal/substance-Tree(s)-Effect on operation - C
Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file
NTSB_2018_GAA18CA528.txt.
Findings + structured fields enriched from FAA avall.mdb.
Full investigation docket on
data.ntsb.gov ↗.
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Related research
What the literature says.
Academic papers and agency reports matching this event's aircraft type or causal vocabulary (maintenance). Sourced from NASA NTRS, NTSB Safety Studies, FAA CAMI, AOPA Air Safety Institute, Embry-Riddle Scholarly Commons, arXiv, and the Semantic Scholar academic graph.
- NASA NTRS 2019 · Book
The Airline Quality Rating 2003
The Airline Quality Rating (AQR) was developed and first announced in early 1991 as an objective method of comparing airline quality on combined multiple performance criteria.
- NASA NTRS 2019 · Contractor Report (CR)
Frequency of Specific Categories of Aviation Accidents and Incidents During 2001-2010
The purpose of this study was to determine the types of accidents or incidents that are most important to the aviation safety risk.
- NASA NTRS 2019 · Contractor Report (CR)
An Application of CICCT Accident Categories to Aviation Accidents in 1988-2004
Interventions or technologies developed to improve aviation safety often focus on specific causes or accident categories. Evaluation of the potential effectiveness of those interventions is dependent …
- Embry-Riddle Scholarly Commons 2016 · Journal article (JAAER)
The Tornado that Struck Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University on Christmas Day, 2006: Lessons Learned from a Near-Miss
An F2 tornado that touched down in Daytona Beach on Christmas Day afternoon caused over $50 million of damage to the Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University campus and nearby neighborhoods.
- Embry-Riddle Scholarly Commons 2015 · Conference paper
Assessing the Commercial Aviation Impact of the Year 2000 Open Skies Agreements between the United States and African Countries with Longstanding Flights
The U.S. started a comprehensive campaign towards Open Skies agreement in 1992. The major benefits of Open sky agreement are reported to include increase of passenger and cargo volume between partners…
- Embry-Riddle Scholarly Commons 2009 · Industry report (AQRR)
Airline Quality Rating 2009
The Airline Quality Rating (AQR) was developed and first announced in early 1991 as an objective method for assessing airline quality on combined multiple performance criteria.
Browse the full corpus — academia portal ↗