Cessna 172M accident near North Adams, Massachusetts, June 19, 2011
On June 19, 2011 at about 3:30 pm local time, a Cessna 172M, registered N12477, was substantially damaged in an accident during taxi (from runway) near North Adams, Massachusetts (Harriman-And-West 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).
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The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's inadequate visual lookout and subsequent failure to maintain clearance from a light pole while taxiing.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- June 19, 2011 · about 3:30 pm local time
- Place
- North Adams, Massachusetts · Harriman-And-West Airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172M · all 172Ms on the register
- Registration
- N12477 · registry record · serial 17262005
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
After landing at an airport, the pilot taxied to the fixed base operator in order to park the airplane. He was advised to park in the first space near the grass, but was unsure of the location of that space. The pilot taxied to the area where he thought he was supposed to park. He then turned the airplane toward his intended parking space and the right wing made contact with a light pole and was substantially damaged. The pilot was uninjured and reported that there were no preexisting mechanical anomalies of the airplane.
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 (from runway) defining event
The NTSB's findings
- cause Environmental issues › Physical environment › Object/animal/substance › Pole › Awareness of condition
- cause Personnel issues › Action/decision › Action › Incorrect action performance › Pilot
- cause Personnel issues › Psychological › Attention/monitoring › Monitoring environment › Pilot
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 249 hours in all; 201 in this make and model; 7 in the last 90 days; 2 in the last 30 days; 182 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: January 10, 2010
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 7,647 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, April 15, 2011
- Maximum gross weight: 2,300 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320 SERIES (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: South Mountain Flying Club INC
The flight
- Departed from: 1B1 Hudson NY at 2:30 pm
- Destination: AQW North Adams MA
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 29, 4,300 ft by 100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: at 5 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 68°F (20°C), dew point 48°F (9°C)
- Altimeter: 29.87 inHg
- Observation at 3:52 pm from AQW
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flig | 1 |
About this page
Everything above comes from the NTSB's public accident database: the narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words, and the coded tables behind its report (pilot, aircraft, flight, weather, injuries, sequence of events) are written out in plain English. Pilots' ages, home towns and medical details are left out on purpose. The docket at the NTSB holds the report as a PDF and the investigation's photographs and documents. This site never names pilots, passengers or anyone else involved. A preliminary report describes what is known soon after the event and can change; the final report, with the probable cause, usually follows one to two years later and this page is refreshed when it does. Case number ERA11CA371.