Cessna 560 incident near Salinas, California, November 29, 2016
On November 29, 2016 at about 4:30 am local time, a 1991 Cessna 560, registered N22AF, suffered minor damage in an incident during taxi (from runway) near Salinas, California (Salinas Muni 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 maintain clearance from a parked helicopter.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- November 29, 2016 · about 4:30 am local time
- Place
- Salinas, California · Salinas Muni · map
- Type
- Incident · collision on the ground
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 560 CITATION, built 1991 · all 560s on the register
- Registration
- N22AF · registry record · serial 560-0129
- Damage
- Minor damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The airline transport pilot was taxiing the airplane to the parking area and was concerned about an airplane parked on the left side of the taxilane. He maneuvered his airplane right of the taxiway centerline and struck a helicopter parked on the right side of the taxiway. Postincident investigation revealed that the taxilane object free area (TOFA) was 47.5 ft on either side of the taxilane centerline; Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) airport design standards indicate that the TOFA should have been 57.5 ft on either side of the centerline. Although the parked airplane was within the TOFA, sufficient distance between the airplane and the helicopter remained such that the incident airplane could have taxied safely between them.
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
- Course deviation during taxi (from runway) defining event
- Collision with terrain or object (not controlled flight into terrain) during taxi (from runway)
The NTSB's findings
- cause Personnel issues › Psychological › Attention/monitoring › Monitoring other aircraft › Pilot
- cause Personnel issues › Action/decision › Info processing/decision › Identification/recognition › Pilot
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Directional control › Incorrect use/operation
Pilot
- Certificate: airline transport pilot, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 0 hours in all; 0 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (with waivers/limitations)
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Maximum gross weight: 16,300 lb
- Seats: 9
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine 1: P&W Canada JT15D-5 (turbofan); 0 hours total
- Engine 2: P&W Canada JT15D-5 (turbofan); 0 hours total
- Operator: Bill Massa CO INC
The flight
- Departed from: SNS Salinas CA
- Destination: SNS Salinas CA
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: night
- Wind: from 250° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 50°F (10°C), dew point 43°F (6°C)
- Altimeter: 30.03 inHg
- Observation at 4:53 am from KSNS
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
4 documents, released by the NTSB on March 1, 2018. 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 | Memorandum for Record - Telephone Interview, Airport Manager and Pilot | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 2 | Airfield Schematic | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 3 | Airport Design-advisory Circular 150/5300-13A | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 4 | Photos (Courtesy of FAA) | PDF, 3 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.