NTSB CAROL · Event
Event NYC99LA104
Aircraft involved
Probable cause & findings
The pilot's failure to maintain obstacle clearance and his visual perception of the perimeter road as Taxiway Charlie. A factor in the accident was the absence of a sign identifying the perimeter road.
Factual narrative
On May 2, 1999, about 1245 Eastern Daylight Time, a Cessna 172, N5815E, was substantially damaged while taxiing at the Port Columbus International Airport (CMH), Columbus Ohio. The certificated private pilot was not injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan was filed for the personal flight conducted under 14 CFR part 91. According to the pilot, she requested a progressive taxi to Runway 10L from the ground controller. The controller told her to taxi south, out of the "Airnet ramp", and make a left turn to the east, onto Taxiway Charlie. The pilot taxied south, and noticed a "C" (charlie) taxiway sign. She made a left turn onto a perimeter road, instead of the taxiway. After the left turn, the left wing of the airplane struck a fence. The pilot further stated that she had never been to CMH before. A review of photographs revealed that their was no sign identifying the perimeter road. However, the road is marked by dashed white lines at the center. Additionally, the airport diagram used by the pilot did not depict the perimeter road. Examination of the airplane by a Federal Aviation Administration Inspector did not reveal any pre-impact mechanical malfunctions, nor did the pilot report any. The Inspector observed spar damage to the left wing. According to representatives from the CMH Port Authority, the perimeter road has been in place for approximately 2 years. During that time, there have been no other known incidents or accidents in which a pilot mistook the road for a taxiway. The pilot requested a progressive taxi from the ground controller. The controller told her to taxi south, out of the 'Airnet ramp', and make a left turn to the east, onto Taxiway Charlie. The pilot taxied south, and noticed a 'C' (charlie) taxiway sign. She made a left turn onto a perimeter road, instead of the taxiway. After the left turn, the left wing of the airplane struck a fence. A review of photographs revealed that there was no sign identifying the perimeter road. Additionally, the airport diagram used by the pilot did not depict the perimeter road. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database (Pre-2008 Archive) Retrieved: 2026-02-12
Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file
NTSB_1999_NYC99LA104.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. 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 · Conference Paper
Crash Testing and Simulation of a Cessna 172 Aircraft: Pitch Down Impact Onto Soft Soil
During the summer of 2015, NASA Langley Research Center conducted three full-scale crash tests of Cessna 172 (C-172) aircraft at the NASA Langley Landing and Impact Research (LandIR) Facility.
- NASA NTRS 2019 · Technical Memorandum (TM)
Simulating the Impact Response of Three Full-Scale Crash Tests of Cessna 172 Aircraft
During the summer of 2015, a series of three full-scale crash tests were performed at the Landing and Impact Research Facility located at NASA Langley Research Center of Cessna 172 aircraft.
- Embry-Riddle Scholarly Commons 2023 · Conference paper
Validation of Training Satisfaction Survey
The Training Satisfaction Survey (TSS) was developed as part of a larger project to examine the features of Virtual Reality software and supporting devices as a training program on visual illusions an…
- Semantic Scholar 2021 · Article (Data in Brief)
Cockpit voice recorder transcript data: Capturing safety voice and safety listening during historic aviation accidents
Cockpit Voice Recorder (CVR) transcripts capture audio data within cockpit environments. This aids the investigation of causal factors contributing to aviation accidents by revealing communication and…
- Semantic Scholar 2021 · Article (Safety Science)
Safety voice and safety listening during aviation accidents: Cockpit voice recordings reveal that speaking-up to power is not enough
Abstract Safety voice is theorised as an important factor for mitigating accidents, but behavioural research during actual hazards has been scant.
- Embry-Riddle Scholarly Commons 2021 · Journal article (JAAER)
Can Backward-Chained, Ab-Initio Pilot Training Decrease Time to First Solo?
Flight simulation has made progressively significant inroads into pilot training at all levels of a pilot’s career – typically starting with training for the Instrument rating in light aircraft and co…
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