Cessna 172 accident near Nogalas, Arizona, May 23, 2019
On May 23, 2019 at about 11:35 pm local time, a 1978 Cessna 172, registered N273EB, was substantially damaged in an accident during taxi near Nogalas, Arizona (Nogales Intl airport). It was an instructional flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 2 people were 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 adequate clearance from a parked fuel truck. Contributing to the accident were the student’s failure to follow company policy and the flight instructor’s delayed remedial action.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- May 23, 2019 · about 11:35 pm local time
- Place
- Nogalas, Arizona · Nogales Intl · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172 N, built 1978 · all 172s on the register
- Registration
- N273EB · registry record · serial 17271018
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The flight instructor reported that, after landing, he gave the controls to the student to let him taxi to the ramp. After entering the ramp, the student taxied the airplane toward an unoccupied parking spot. The instructor added that, per company policy, the student was taught to stop the airplane perpendicular to the landing spot, shut down the engine, and use the tow bar to back the airplane into the unoccupied spot. As the student passed a parked fuel truck adjacent the parking spot, he made a left turn and started maneuvering the airplane into the parking spot instead of following company policy. During the left turn, the instructor saw that the left wingtip was getting close to the truck, so he applied brakes and told the student to stop the airplane, but the left wing struck the truck. The student reported that he did not follow company policy. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the left-wing spar. The chief flight instructor reported that there were no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airplane 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 (from runway)
- Ground collision during taxi defining event
The NTSB's findings
- cause Environmental issues › Physical environment › Object/animal/substance › Ground equipment › Effect on operation
- cause Personnel issues › Psychological › Attention/monitoring › Monitoring environment › Student/instructed pilot
- factor Personnel issues › Action/decision › Action › Delayed action › Instructor/check pilot
- factor Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Use of policy/procedure › Student/instructed pilot
Flight instructor
- Certificate: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 336 hours in all; 270 in this make and model; 53 in the last 90 days; 33 in the last 30 days; 201 as pilot in command; 27 on instruments
- Last flight review: May 3, 2019
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: no injuries
Dual student
- Certificate: student
- Flight time: 258 hours in all; 248 in this make and model; 41 in the last 90 days; 41 in the last 30 days; 119 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: None
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 11,391.2 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, May 21, 2019
- Maximum gross weight: 2,299 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-360-A4M (piston); 6,909 hours total
- Operator: Westwind School Of Aeronautics Phoenix LLC
The flight
- Departed from: DVT Phoenix AZ at 4:00 am
- Destination: OLS Nogales AZ
- Flight plan: none
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 73°F (23°C), dew point 18°F (-8°C)
- Altimeter: 29.97 inHg
- Observation at 10:54 pm from KOLS
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 2 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
4 documents, released by the NTSB on January 10, 2020. 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 Photo | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 3 | Record of Conversation - Flight Instructor | PDF, 2 pages | View Download |
| 4 | Record of Conversation - Student | 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.