Piper Aircraft INC PA 28 accident near Tucson, Arizona, April 8, 2018
On April 8, 2018 at about 5:17 pm local time, a 2013 Piper Aircraft INC PA 28, registered N4400W, was substantially damaged in an accident during taxi near Tucson, Arizona (Ryan Field). It was an instructional 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 student pilot’s failure to maintain clearance from a stationary pole while parking.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- April 8, 2018 · about 5:17 pm local time
- Place
- Tucson, Arizona · Ryan Field · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper Aircraft INC PA 28 181, built 2013
- Registration
- N4400W · registry record · serial 2843713
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The student pilot reported that, while taxiing to park, he aligned the airplane with the parking spot, added power to make the turn, and then heard a "boom." He shut the engine down and examined the airplane and found that the left wing had hit a pole. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the left-wing rear spar. The flight safety officer for the operator reported that there were no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation. The safety officer further reported that the company policy was to shut down the airplane on the yellow taxiway centerline before pushing the airplane back into the parking spot. He added that, after interviewing other flight crews, he learned that flight instructors had been demonstrating incorrect parking methods to students, including the student who taxied into the pole.
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 › Psychological › Attention/monitoring › Monitoring environment › Student/instructed pilot
- cause Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Aircraft control › Student/instructed pilot
- Environmental issues › Physical environment › Object/animal/substance › Pole › Awareness of condition
- Environmental issues › Physical environment › Object/animal/substance › Pole › Contributed to outcome
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft handling/service › Parking/securing › Parking/storage › Incorrect use/operation
Dual student
- Certificate: student
- Flight time: 119 hours in all; 104 in this make and model; 89 in the last 90 days; 41 in the last 30 days; 54 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 5,433.3 hours
- Last inspection: continuous airworthiness programme, April 6, 2018
- Maximum gross weight: 2,550 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-360-A4M (piston); 2,342 hours total
- Operator: Cae Oxford Aviation Academy Phoenix INC
The flight
- Departed from: FFZ Mesa AZ at 4:00 pm
- Destination: RYN Tucson AZ
- Flight plan: VFR
- Runway 24R, 4,900 ft by 75 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 250° at 11 knots, gusting 15
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 82°F (28°C), dew point 39°F (4°C)
- Altimeter: 29.94 inHg
- Observation at 5:55 pm from KRYN, 1 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
3 documents, released by the NTSB on June 12, 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 | Pilot/operator Aircraft Accident Report, NTSB Form 6120.1 | PDF, 9 pages | View Download |
| 2 | Accident Picture | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 3 | Email Roc Flight Safety Officer | PDF, 1 page | 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.