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Atlas / NTSB / WPR11CA084

NTSB CAROL · Event

Event WPR11CA084

2010-12-08 Phoenix, Arizona, United States Airport · DVT None 1 aircraft Status: Completed

Registry · N418PA

FAA Aircraft Registry record.

Make / Model

PIPER PA-28-181

Year of manufacture

2000 · 10 years old at event

Engine

LYCOMING 0-360-A1D (180 hp)

Seats / Engines

4 seats · 1 engine

Last airworthiness date

20010109

ADS-B equipped

Yes — Mode-S A4F31E

Registrant of record

SKYWEST LEASING INC

Source: FAA Aircraft Registry (releasable master file).

Aircraft involved

Probable cause & findings

The student pilot's failure to maintain clearance from obstacles while taxiing.

Factual narrative

After landing, the student pilot was cleared to taxi to the ramp area at his flight school. The student pilot stated that he was taxiing along the centerline and nearing the ramp area when he observed an airplane holding at an adjacent ramp area. He said that while taxiing in front of the airplane he did not think there was enough room to safely pass, so he maneuvered his airplane to the right to avoid the other airplane. After passing the airplane, the right wing tip hit a parked fuel truck. The airplane yawed to the right, contacted two other parked trucks, and came to a stop. The damage was reported to the NTSB on January 3, 2011, following the identification of structural damage to the right wing leading edge and rear carry through spar. After landing, the student pilot was cleared to taxi to the ramp area at his flight school. The student pilot stated that he was taxiing along the taxiway centerline and nearing the ramp area when he observed an airplane holding at an adjacent ramp area. He said that while taxiing in front of the airplane he did not think there was enough room to safely pass, so he maneuvered his airplane to the right to avoid the other airplane. After passing the airplane, the right wing tip hit a parked fuel truck. The airplane yawed to the right, contacted two other parked trucks, and came to a stop. The damage was reported to the NTSB approximately one month after the accident, following the identification of structural damage to the right wing leading edge and rear carry through spar. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database Retrieved: 2026-02-12

NTSB Findings

Hierarchical cause / factor breakdown from the FAA bulk avdata database. Each finding tagged C (Cause) or F (Factor).

  • C Environmental issues-Physical environment-Object/animal/substance-Ground vehicle-Response/compensation - C
  • C Personnel issues-Task performance-Use of equip/info-(general)-Pilot - C
  • C Personnel issues-Psychological-Attention/monitoring-Task monitoring/vigilance-Pilot - C

Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file NTSB_2010_WPR11CA084.txt. Findings + structured fields enriched from FAA avall.mdb. Full investigation docket on data.ntsb.gov ↗.