NTSB CAROL · Event
Event SEA08CA052
Registry · N13974
FAA Aircraft Registry record.
Make / Model
CESSNA 172S
Year of manufacture
2006 · 1 years old at event
Engine
LYCOMING IO-360-L2A (180 hp)
Seats / Engines
4 seats · 1 engine
Last airworthiness date
20061220
ADS-B equipped
Yes — Mode-S A0A00A
Registrant of record
TOTAL PRF LLC
Source: FAA Aircraft Registry (releasable master file).
Aircraft involved
Probable cause & findings
The pilot's failure to maintain clearance while taxiing. Contributing to the accident was the pilot's diverted attention.
Factual narrative
The student pilot had landed the airplane, exited the runway and was taxiing to parking. The tower controller informed the pilot that a helicopter was above him and to his right. The pilot looked to the right and saw the helicopter. While watching the helicopter, the pilot added right brake and throttle to move the airplane towards the center line of the taxiway. As the airplane turned, the pilot felt a jolt and saw that the airplane's left wing had contacted a utility trailer, substantially damaging the wing spar. The pilot stated that the accident could have been prevented if he had looked to all sides before turning and not allowed himself to be distracted by the presence of the helicopter. The student pilot had landed the airplane, exited the runway and was taxiing to parking. The tower controller informed the pilot that a helicopter was above him and to his right. The pilot looked to the right and saw the helicopter. While watching the helicopter, the pilot added right brake and throttle to move the airplane towards the center line of the taxiway. As the airplane turned, the pilot felt a jolt and saw that the airplane's left wing had contacted a utility trailer, substantially damaging the wing spar. The pilot stated that the accident could have been prevented if he had looked to all sides before turning and not allowed himself to be distracted by the presence of the helicopter. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database (Pre-2008 Archive) Retrieved: 2026-02-12
Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file
NTSB_2007_SEA08CA052.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.
- Embry-Riddle Scholarly Commons 2016 · Conference paper
Early Morning Concurrent Session: Aviation Management and Operations: Presentation: Analysis of Factors Related to True Airspeed (TAS) Calculation Utilizing the Handicap Procedure for the 2015 Women's Air Race Classic
In most post-WWII cross country air racing events, the “handicap” method of determining race scoring is utilized. A typical example is the Women’s Air Race Classic transcontinental annual competition.…
- Embry-Riddle Scholarly Commons 2015 · Conference paper
Approach Stability from FDM Data
The Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University Prescott Campus maintains a fleet of twenty four aircraft, which includes sixteen Cessna 172S NavIII and four Diamond DA42NG equipped with flight data monitori…
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