Piper PA-28-151 accident near Daytona Beach, Florida, April 26, 2022
On April 26, 2022 at about 2:50 pm local time, a 1974 Piper PA-28-151, registered N32042, was substantially damaged in an accident during taxi near Daytona Beach, Florida (Spruce Creek 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
Pilot’s failure to maintain clearance from a forklift while taxiing.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- April 26, 2022 · about 2:50 pm local time
- Place
- Daytona Beach, Florida · Spruce Creek Airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-28-151, built 1974 · all PA-28-151s on the register
- Registration
- N32042 · registry record · serial 28-7515052
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The private pilot was taxiing through a private residential flying community on a taxiway that was bordered by residential homes and hangers when he came across an airplane off his right side, and a commercial forklift that was working on a hangar door to his left. The pilot maneuvered further left to avoid the airplane but struck the forklift with his left wing. The impact spun his airplane left into the bushes and resulted in substantial damage; it sheared off about 9 inches of the outboard wing and resulted in the left wing canting aft, further damaging the airframe. The pilot stated that there were no mechanical malfunctions or failures that would have precluded normal operation.
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
- Collision with terrain or object (not controlled flight into terrain) during taxi defining event
The NTSB's findings
- Personnel issues › Psychological › Attention/monitoring › Monitoring environment › Pilot
- Environmental issues › Physical environment › Object/animal/substance › Ground vehicle › Awareness of condition
Pilot
- Certificate: commercial pilot, private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 600 hours in all
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 9,423 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, March 1, 2022
- Maximum gross weight: 2,325 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320 SERIES (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Van Anda Aviation LLC
The flight
- Departed from: ORL Orlando FL at 1:45 pm
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 090° at 6 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: a few clouds at 3,000 ft
- Temperature: 77°F (25°C), dew point 61°F (16°C)
- Altimeter: 30.16 inHg
- Observation at 10:47 am from EVB, 5 miles away
Weather report (METAR): METAR KEVB 261447Z 09006KT 10SM FEW030 25/16 A3016=
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
5 documents, released by the NTSB on August 17, 2022. View them here, or download them; the NTSB redacts some personal details before release, and this site shows the NTSB's own titles rather than its file names.
| # | Document | What it is | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pilot Statement | PDF, 2 pages | View Download |
| 2 | Record of Conversation_faa and Pilot | PDF, 2 pages | View Download |
| 3 | Memorandum for Record_request for Information | PDF, 2 pages | View Download |
| 4 | Photo Array_airplane Damage | PDF, 5 pages | View Download |
| 5 | Airport Report Photographs | PDF, 2 pages | View Download |
The same docket at the NTSB · documents without a copy here are fetched from the NTSB when you open them.
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.