NYC94LA093

Factual narrative

On May 24, 1994, about 1845 eastern daylight time, a Cessna 172M, operated by JAMM INC., and piloted by Donald W. Palmer, was substantially damaged when it struck a de-icing tower while taxing at the Groton-New London Airport (GON), Groton, Connecticut. The pilot and two passengers were not injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed and a flight plan had not been filed for the flight operating under 14 CFR 91. In the NTSB Form 6120.1/2, the pilot stated that after landing at the GON Airport he had been cleared by the control tower to taxi to the restaurant parking area. He further stated: "...I turned left onto Hotel and moved slowly into parking area...My intention was to taxi straight ahead and turn left behind a plane that was parked on the lot and turn around facing forward. The next thing I knew I heard a sound and thought I went into a pothole or went over a tiedown...I realized I hit what later turned out to be a deicing trailer...I was looking to the left and ahead where I was going to park the plane..." An aircraft mechanic, in the GON control tower at the time of the accident stated: "...I watched as a Cessna 172 taxied from runway 15, across the west side of the terminal parking ramp, in a northwest direction towards the restaurant parking. An aircraft de-icing stand was parked adjacent to the fence which borders the restaurant parking area...It appeared as though the pilot was trying to maneuver his C172 between the de-ice stand and the parked aircraft, when his right wing tip hit the de-ice stand causing the plane to pivot about 90 degrees hard to the right..." THE PILOT LANDED AT THE DESTINATION AIRPORT AND WAS CLEARED TO TAXI TO THE RESTAURANT PARKING AREA BY THE CONTROL TOWER. WHILE TAXIING ACROSS THE RAMP TOWARD THE PARKING AREA, THE RIGHT WING OF THE AIRPLANE STRUCK A DEICING TRAILER THAT WAS PARKED ADJACENT TO A FENCE. THE PILOT AND PASSENGERS STATED THAT THEY WERE LOOKING LEFT AND DID NOT OBSERVE THE TRAILER. A WITNESS STATED THAT IT APPEARED THAT THE AIRPLANE TRIED TO MANEUVER BETWEEN ANOTHER AIRPLANE AND THE TRAILER. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database (Pre-2008 Archive) Retrieved: 2026-02-12