NTSB CAROL · Event
Event OPS08IA001
Registry · N241EP
FAA Aircraft Registry record.
Make / Model
CESSNA 172S
Year of manufacture
2024
Engine
LYCOMING IO-360-L2A (180 hp)
Seats / Engines
4 seats · 1 engine
Last airworthiness date
20241024
ADS-B equipped
Yes — Mode-S A23428
Registrant of record
EPIC AVIATION INC
Source: FAA Aircraft Registry (releasable master file).
Aircraft involved
Probable cause & findings
The probable cause of this incident was the pilot's inadvertent departure from a taxiway instead of a runway.
Factual narrative
HISTORY OF FLIGHT
On October 11, 2007, at 7:40 pm Central daylight time, N241EP, a Cessna Citation 525, missed colliding with Pinnacle Airlines (FLG) Flight 5905, a CRJ 2, by approximately 400 to 500 feet while departing off a taxiway at Memphis International Airport, Memphis, Tennessee. N241EP departed on taxiway M and FLG5905 was stopped on taxiway M short of taxiway M6. N241EP was operating as a 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 flight and FLG5905 was operating as a scheduled passenger flight under 14 CFR Part 121 and both had filed instrument flight plans. There were no injuries to occupants and there was no damage to either aircraft. The incident occurred during night visual flight rules conditions. FLG 5905 arrived from Montgomery Regional Airport (MGM), Montgomery, Alabama at 7:25 pm. The aircraft landed on runway 36R, turned off at taxiway P, crossed runway 36C and taxied to hold short of taxiway N, then were cleared to taxi via taxiway M to hold short of taxiway M6. They were stopped facing northbound for about 20 minutes while waiting for a gate and could not see the Citation depart. The Pinnacle crew reported that the taxiway lights on taxiway M were illuminated. They also reported that they were tuned to ground control frequency 121.65 and that the ramp and frequency were congested. Additionally, that they did not see the Citation depart or hear any transmissions to or from the Citation. A 58-year-old professional pilot with over 11,000 hours of flight time operated N241EP. There were four passengers on board. The pilot was cleared by the tower for takeoff on runway 36L while the pilot was taxiing on parallel taxiway N. He acknowledged the clearance but before reaching runway 36L, he turned right onto parallel taxiway M and proceeded to take off. The tower issued two warnings but the pilot did not acknowledge until after he was airborne. The pilot stated that the Citation had a newly installed avionics package that included an airport diagram display that was active on the Multi-Function Display. As the airplane neared the approach end of 36L, a traffic alert caused the MFD screen to blank. The pilot turned up the floodlights to verify the tower frequency on his paper chart, switched to tower frequency 128.42, and was immediately cleared for takeoff. He did not realize the centerline lights were green until he was near flying speed, so he continued the takeoff and offset to the left of the taxiway immediately after liftoff. Runway centerline lights are white and certain taxiway centerline lights are green. The pilot was in his 13th hour of duty at the time of the incident. The Memphis Air Traffic Quality Assurance manager stated that there had been a number of previous attempts to commence takeoff from the 150-foot wide taxiway M but that the mistake had always been caught before takeoff. The words "M TO RIGHT" were painted on the right side of the taxiway M2 ramp surface but were not visible to the pilot.
PERSONNEL INFORMATION
The pilot of N241EP obtained his Air Transport Pilot certificate in 1988. He was type rated in the C525 and five other type aircraft. His total flying time was 11, 942 hours, of which 424 were in the C525. His flying time in the last 90 days was 72 hours, all in the C525. The aircraft, a CJ1 model, was certified for single pilot operation, and the pilot frequently flew the airplane single pilot. Certification and experience for air traffic controllers was not requested.
METEOROLOGICAL INFORMATION
The MEM weather observation for 1853 was wind 340 at 6 knots, visibility 10 statute miles, sky conditions clear, temperature 59, dew point 43, altimeter 29.98 inches.
WRECKAGE AND IMPACT INFORMATION
There was no damage reported to either aircraft.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
Airport Information Memphis International Airport serves airline, air taxi and general aviation aircraft. The annual air activity averages 392,000 operations per year. The airport is a hub for FedEx and Pinnacle Airlines. The airport is configured with three parallel north-south runways and one east-west runway. Runways 36L, 36C, and 36R are Category III certified runways and Surface Movement Guidance and Control system (SMGCS) lights and markings are installed. On October 11, 2007, at approximately 7:40 pm Central daylight time, N241EP, a Cessna Citation 525, took off on taxiway M at Memphis International Airport, Memphis, Tennessee during night visual meteorological conditions. The tower controller cleared the flight for takeoff on runway 36L when the airplane was on taxiway N. The crew acknowledged the clearance, turned right, and began takeoff roll on taxiway M. The tower controller made two transmissions to advise that the aircraft was departing on a taxiway. The crew of N241EP acknowledged just after lifting off taxiway M. Holding on taxiway M at M6 was Pinnacle Airlines (FLG) flight 5905, a CRJ2. The initial report from the Federal Aviation Administration stated that N241EP over flew FLG5905 by 400 to 500 feet. The FAA classified the incident as a pilot deviation. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database (Pre-2008 Archive) Retrieved: 2026-02-12
Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file
NTSB_2007_OPS08IA001.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 (stall). 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 2026 · Conference Paper
Computational Analysis of Steady State Aerodynamics of Transonic Truss-Braced Wing Configuration in Deep Stall
This study presents a computational investigation of steady state aerodynamics of the Subsonic Ultra-Green Aircraft Research (SUGAR) Transonic Truss-Braced Wing (TTBW) configuration over a wide range …
- arXiv 2023 · arXiv preprint
Automating Bird Diverter Installation through Multi-Aerial Robots and Signal Temporal Logic Specifications
This paper tackles the task assignment and trajectory generation problem for bird diverter installation using a fleet of multi-rotors.
- arXiv 2023 · arXiv preprint
Variation of Critical Crystallization Pressure for the Formation of Square Ice in Graphene Nanocapillaries
Two-dimensional square ice in graphene nanocapillaries at room temperature is a fascinating phenomenon and has been confirmed experimentally.
- arXiv 2023 · arXiv preprint
Polycrystallinity enhances stress build-up around ice
Damage caused by freezing wet, porous materials is a widespread problem, but is hard to predict or control. Here, we show that polycrystallinity makes a great difference to the stress build-up process…
- arXiv 2022 · arXiv preprint
Enhanced Prediction of Three-dimensional Finite Iced Wing Separated Flow Near Stall
Icing on three-dimensional wings causes severe flow separation near stall. Standard improved delayed detached eddy simulation (IDDES) is unable to correctly predict the separating reattaching flow due…
- Embry-Riddle Scholarly Commons 2021 · Journal article (JAAER)
Analysis on the Negative Emotional, Physiological, and Cognitive Responses Elicited from of the Activation of a Stall Alarm
Failing to identify an aerodynamic stall can lead to the inability of an aircraft to sustain flight. To warn pilots of an impending or fully-developed stall, many aircraft have safety devices installe…
Browse the full corpus — academia portal ↗