Cessna 172P accident near San Diego, California, August 14, 2011
On August 14, 2011 at about 11:00 pm local time, a Cessna 172P, registered N216AF, was substantially damaged in an accident during taxi (from runway) near San Diego, California (Montgomery Field Airport). 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).
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The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The student pilot's failure to maintain clearance from obstacles while taxiing.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 14, 2011 · about 11:00 pm local time
- Place
- San Diego, California · Montgomery Field Airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172P · all 172Ps on the register
- Registration
- N216AF · registry record · serial 17274165
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
After landing, the student pilot was cleared to taxi to the ramp area at his flight school. The student pilot stated that he observed the fuel truck and misjudged the clearance. The left wing tip hit the parked fuel truck's ladder and the airplane pivoted to the left, where the leading edge of the wing struck the fuel truck. The damage to the airplane consisted of substantial structural damage to the left wing’s leading edge.
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
- Miscellaneous/other 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 › Action/decision › Action › Incorrect action performance › Student pilot
- cause Environmental issues › Physical environment › Object/animal/substance › Ground vehicle › Response/compensation
Dual student
- Certificate: student
- Flight time: 42 hours in all; 42 in this make and model; 23 in the last 90 days; 6 in the last 30 days; 13 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: July 2, 2011
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 14,941 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, August 11, 2010
- Maximum gross weight: 2,400 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320 SERIES (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Armed Forces Aero Club INC
The flight
- Departed from: MYF San Diego CA at 1:30 pm
- Destination: MYF San Diego CA
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 250° at 6 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 72°F (22°C), dew point 59°F (15°C)
- Altimeter: 29.89 inHg
- Observation at 10:53 pm from MYF
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flig | 1 |
Other NTSB records under N216AF the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
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 docket at the NTSB holds the report as a PDF and the investigation's photographs and documents. This site 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 WPR11CA376.