Cessna 172 accident near Gila Bend, Arizona, March 20, 2013
On March 20, 2013 at about 5:15 pm local time, a Cessna 172, registered N421ER, was substantially damaged in an accident during taxi near Gila Bend, Arizona (Gila Bend Municipal 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).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The student pilot’s failure to maintain clearance from an above-ground fuel tank while taxiing.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- March 20, 2013 · about 5:15 pm local time
- Place
- Gila Bend, Arizona · Gila Bend Municipal Airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172 S · all 172s on the register
- Registration
- N421ER · registry record · serial 172S9679
- 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 the ramp on the parking apron instead of the taxiway, he misjudged the airplane's wing distance from an above-ground fuel tank. The airplane’s left wing contacted the fuel tank and was substantially damaged. The pilot reported no preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures 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
- Ground collision during taxi defining event
The NTSB's findings
- cause Personnel issues › Psychological › Attention/monitoring › Monitoring environment › Student pilot
- Environmental issues › Physical environment › Object/animal/substance › Ground equipment › Not specified
Dual student
- Certificate: student
- Flight time: 51 hours in all; 51 in this make and model; 51 in the last 90 days; 23 in the last 30 days; 3 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,790 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, March 5, 2013; 50 hours since
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming IO-360-L2A (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: DVT Phoenix AZ at 4:30 pm
- Destination: E63 Gila Bend AZ
- Flight plan: VFR
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 150° at 3 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 70°F (21°C), dew point 39°F (4°C)
- Altimeter: 30.02 inHg
- Observation at 5:15 pm from BXK, 28 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 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.
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.