Skip to content

GAA19CA082

2018-10-19 · Waynesburg, Pennsylvania, United States · None · 1 aircraft · Status: Completed

Airport WAY

Aircraft involved

Probable cause & findings

The student pilot's improper decision to maneuver the airplane through an area of construction and his subsequent failure to maintain clearance from a concrete pole barrier while taxiing.

Factual narrative

The solo student pilot reported that, after landing, while taxing toward the fuel farm, he decided to maneuver through a partially sectioned-off area surrounded by orange construction cones. While focused on the cones, the airplane's right wing struck a concrete pole barrier surrounding the fuel farm. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the right-wing and baggage door floorboards. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation. The solo student pilot reported that, after landing and while taxiing toward the fuel farm, he decided to maneuver through a partially sectioned-off area surrounded by orange construction cones. While he was focused on the cones, the airplane's right wing struck a concrete pole barrier surrounding the fuel farm. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the right wing and baggage door floorboards. The student 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

FAA avdata. C = Cause, F = Factor.

  • C Personnel issues-Action/decision-Info processing/decision-Decision making/judgment-Student/instructed pilot - C
  • C Personnel issues-Psychological-Attention/monitoring-Monitoring environment-Pilot - C
  • C Environmental issues-Physical environment-Object/animal/substance-Pole-Effect on operation - C

Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file NTSB_2018_GAA19CA082.txt. Findings + structured fields enriched from FAA avall.mdb. Full investigation docket on data.ntsb.gov ↗.

Search this event elsewhere

External sources are reported, not agency: signal that something happened, not fact about what happened.