Cessna 172 and Diamond Aircraft Ind INC DA 42 accident near Brunswick, Georgia, February 22, 2018
On February 22, 2018 at about 2:20 am local time, 2 aircraft, Cessna 172 (N410ER) and Diamond Aircraft Ind INC DA 42 (N987TS), were involved in the same accident near Brunswick, Georgia (Mckinnon St Simons Island airport). No one was hurt; 5 people were 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 receiving instruction’s failure to see and avoid an airplane holding short of the runway on the taxiway and the flight instructor’s lack of situational awareness.
The pilot receiving instruction’s failure to see and avoid an airplane holding short of the runway on the taxiway and the flight instructor’s lack of situational awareness.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- February 22, 2018 · about 2:20 am local time
- Place
- Brunswick, Georgia · Mckinnon St Simons Island · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 5 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft 1
- Cessna 172 S, built 2014 · all 172s on the register
- Registration
- N410ER · no longer on the register · serial 172S11441
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
- Aircraft 2
- Diamond Aircraft Ind INC DA 42 UNDESIGNAT, built 2007
- Registration
- N987TS · registry record · serial 42.AC088
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative for the Cessna 172 final · quoted from the NTSB record
The chief pilot of the flight school that operated the multi-engine airplane reported that the pilot receiving instruction was taxiing the airplane to the runway at the non-tower-controlled airport and was "heads-in" looking down and researching information on his iPad when he heard someone yell, "stop". He quickly applied the brakes, but the airplane collided with an airplane stopped on the taxiway, holding short of the runway. The chief pilot further reported that the flight instructor was imputing radio frequencies and was unaware that the pilot was also looking inside the airplane. The instructor looked up just in time to hear the backseat passenger yell "stop" and see the collision. The safety coordinator of the flight school that operated the stopped airplane reported that, while holding short of the runway and performing the before takeoff checklist, the flight instructor and pilot-receiving-instruction felt a hard impact from the rear. The stopped airplane sustained substantial damage to the elevator. The safety coordinator and chief pilot both reported that there were no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions with their respective airplanes 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 NTSB's narrative for the Diamond Aircraft Ind INC DA 42 final · quoted from the NTSB record
The chief pilot of the flight school that operated the multi-engine airplane reported that the pilot receiving instruction was taxiing the airplane to the runway at the non-tower-controlled airport and was "heads-in" looking down and researching information on his iPad when he heard someone yell "stop". He quickly applied the brakes, but the airplane collided with an airplane stopped on the taxiway, holding short of the runway. The chief pilot further reported that the flight instructor was imputing radio frequencies and was unaware that the pilot was also looking inside the airplane. The instructor looked up just in time to hear the backseat passenger yell "stop" and see the collision. The safety coordinator of the flight school that operated the stopped airplane reported that, while holding short of the runway and performing the before takeoff checklist, the flight instructor and pilot receiving instruction felt a hard impact from the rear. The stopped airplane sustained substantial damage to the elevator. The safety coordinator and chief pilot both reported that there were no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions with their respective airplanes 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 for the Cessna 172 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 › Psychological › Attention/monitoring › Monitoring other aircraft › Pilot of other aircraft
- cause Personnel issues › Psychological › Attention/monitoring › Task monitoring/vigilance › Pilot of other aircraft
- cause Personnel issues › Psychological › Perception/orientation/illusion › Situational awareness › Pilot of other aircraft
Flight instructor
- Certificate: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 396 hours in all; 396 in this make and model; 62 in the last 90 days; 40 in the last 30 days; 326 as pilot in command; 160 on instruments
- Last flight review: September 29, 2017
- Medical certificate: Class 1
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: no injuries
Dual student
- Certificate: private
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,555.8 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, February 6, 2018
- Maximum gross weight: 2,550 lb
- Seats: 3
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming IO-360-L2A (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Embry Riddle Aeronautical University INC
The flight
- Departed from: DAB Daytona Beach FL
- Destination: SSI Brunswick GA
- Flight plan: not recorded
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 120° at 8 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 68°F (20°C), dew point 66°F (19°C)
- Altimeter: 30.42 inHg
- Observation at 1:53 am from KSSI
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flig | 2 |
The factual record for the Diamond Aircraft Ind INC DA 42 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 › Psychological › Perception/orientation/illusion › Situational awareness › Instructor/check pilot
- cause Personnel issues › Psychological › Attention/monitoring › Monitoring other aircraft › Student/instructed pilot
- cause Personnel issues › Psychological › Attention/monitoring › Task monitoring/vigilance › Student/instructed pilot
Pilot
- Certificate: commercial pilot
- Ratings: single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 271 hours in all; 30 in this make and model
- Last flight review: October 20, 2017
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
Flight instructor
- Certificate: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 1,145 hours in all; 91 in this make and model
- Last flight review: August 22, 2017
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,816.8 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, March 14, 2018
- Maximum gross weight: 3,953 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine 1: Thielert TAE125-02-99 (piston); 1,817 hours total
- Engine 2: Thielert TAE125-02-99 (piston); 1,817 hours total
- Operator: Falcon Aviation Academy LLC
The flight
- Departed from: CCO Atlanta GA at 9:45 pm
- Destination: SSI Brunswick GA
- Flight plan: IFR
- A second pilot was aboard
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flig | 2 | |||
| Passengers | 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.
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 documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, the folder of records gathered during the investigation, shown as the NTSB released them (the NTSB redacts some personal details first) and listed under the NTSB's own titles. This site's own text 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 GAA18CA198.