Piper PA-28-181 accident near Bullhead City, Arizona, April 25, 2003
On April 25, 2003 at about 5:59 pm local time, a Piper PA-28-181, registered N38137, was substantially damaged in an accident near Bullhead City, Arizona (Laughlin/Bullhead Intl airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 3 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's misjudgment of distance resulting in the inadequate clearance between the wing tip and the fuel truck.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- April 25, 2003 · about 5:59 pm local time
- Place
- Bullhead City, Arizona · Laughlin/Bullhead Intl · map
- Type
- Accident · collision on the ground
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 3 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-28-181 · all PA-28-181s on the register
- Registration
- N38137 · no longer on the register · serial 28-7790522
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
While taxing to parking, the airplane collided with a parked fuel truck with the outboard 18 inches of the left wing. The pilot was taxing on the centerline, at a normal speed, and was not aware that the fuel truck was obstructing the taxi way. He said he "misjudged the distance" between the airplane and the fuel truck.
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
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 77 hours in all; 53 in this make and model; 25 in the last 90 days; 16 in the last 30 days; 20 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: April 8, 2003
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 8,983.1 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, March 6, 2003; 7 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,650 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-360 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: KF70 Murrieta CA at 4:30 pm
- Destination: KIFP Bullhead City AZ
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 190° at 15 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 73°F (23°C), dew point 37°F (3°C)
- Altimeter: 29.87 inHg
- Observation at 5:45 pm from KIFP
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 2 |
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.
Other NTSB records under N38137 the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
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.