NTSB CAROL · Event
Event MIA89LA234
Registry · N738WM
FAA Aircraft Registry record.
Make / Model
CESSNA 172N
Engine
LYCOMING 0-320 SERIES (180 hp)
Seats / Engines
4 seats · 1 engine
Last airworthiness date
19780131
ADS-B equipped
Yes — Mode-S A9EAC3
Registrant of record
MAYERS TREVOR D
Source: FAA Aircraft Registry (releasable master file).
Aircraft involved
Probable cause & findings
INADEQUATE VISUAL LOOKOUT BY THE PILOT. FACTORS RELATED TO THE ACCIDENT WERE: DARK NIGHT, LIGHT POLE WITH AN INOPERATIVE LIGHT, AND THE LACK OF VISUAL PERCEPTION CONCERNING THE PILOT'S ABILITY TO SEE THE POLE AT NIGHT.
Factual narrative
AFTER LANDING AT NIGHT, THE PLT TAXIED TO THE PARKING RAMP, BUT FOUND THAT THE ACFT'S NORMAL PARKING PLACE WAS OCCUPIED. HE TAXIED TO THE END OF THE ROW & MADE A LEFT TURN TOWARD THE NEXT ROW. DURING THE TURN, THE RIGHT WING STRUCK A LIGHT POLE BESIDE THE RAMP. THE LIGHT ON THE POLE WAS NOT OPERATING. THE PLT RPRTD THAT THE COLOR OF THE POLE WAS DARK & HE DID NOT SEE IT. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database (Pre-2008 Archive) Retrieved: 2026-02-12
Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file
NTSB_1989_MIA89LA234.txt.
Findings + structured fields enriched from FAA avall.mdb.
Full investigation docket on
data.ntsb.gov ↗.
Beyond the agency record
Search this event elsewhere.
Pre-filled searches into the sources where news + community discussion of aviation events lives. External sources are reported, not agency. Treat them as signal that something happened, not as fact about what happened.
Entity-clustered aviation events in the press — last 24 hr + 30-day archive.
Official agency record + docket.
Investigative docket: factual reports, photos, transcripts.
Long-running aviation incident database (Flight Safety Foundation).
Community NTSB synthesis blog — often has photos and witness reports.
Gold-standard aviation incident blog.
Aviation industry news search.
GA pilot forum — informed but rumor-prone.
GA pilot subreddit search.
Tail-number page — flight history (free tier limited).
AOPA Air Safety Institute search.
Mainstream press coverage. Recent events only.
Privacy-preserving news search.
External links open in a new tab. We don't ingest their content; we deep-link search queries.