Piper PA28-151 accident near Gardner, Kansas, March 15, 2009
On March 15, 2009 at about 4:30 pm local time, a Piper PA28-151, registered N43181, was substantially damaged in an accident during taxi near Gardner, Kansas (Gardner Municipal Airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's failure to ensure adequate clearance between the airplane's right wing and the building.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- March 15, 2009 · about 4:30 pm local time
- Place
- Gardner, Kansas · Gardner Municipal Airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA28-151 · all PA28-151s on the register
- Registration
- N43181 · registry record · serial 28-7415442
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot reported that after he landed, he proceeded to taxi the airplane to the tie-down area. The pilot turned left, after the fuel pumps, and continued to taxi the airplane between a row of parked airplanes and the FBO building. The pilot stated that he thought one of the parked airplanes was further back in the row, so he moved to the right; the airplane's right wing then impacted the building's porch posts.
The complete narrative as the NTSB published it. The NTSB's docket holds the report as a PDF and any photographs, statements and other documents from the investigation.
The factual record from the NTSB's investigation tables, in plain English
What happened, in order
- Ground collision during taxi defining event
The NTSB's findings
- cause Personnel issues › Action/decision › Action › Incorrect action performance › Pilot
- Personnel issues › Psychological › Attention/monitoring › Monitoring environment › Pilot
- Environmental issues › Operating environment › Airport facilities/design › Ramp facilities › Effect on operation
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 159 hours in all; 45 in this make and model; 3 in the last 90 days; 1 in the last 30 days; 78 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: October 28, 2007
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 6,699 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, November 21, 2008
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320 SERIES (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Break Even Aircraft Resourcing LLC
The flight
- Departed from: K34 Gardner KS at 3:40 pm
- Destination: K34 Gardner KS
- Flight plan: not recorded
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 190° at 7 knots
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
The docket, the folder of records gathered during an investigation (maintenance records, photographs, witness statements, examinations), has not been read from the NTSB for this case yet; the list appears here once it has. Open the docket at the NTSB.
Everything on this page comes from the NTSB's public records. The narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words; the coded tables behind the report are written out in plain English, with pilots' ages, home towns and medical details left out. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, shown as the NTSB released them. This site's own text never names anyone involved. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.