Phoenix Air U-15 PHOENIX accident near Carlsbad, California, November 18, 2021
On November 18, 2021, a 2010 Phoenix Air U-15 PHOENIX (glider), registered N44DY, was substantially damaged in an accident during taxi (from runway) near Carlsbad, California (Mc Clellan-Palomar airport). It was a personal 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 pilot’s failure to maintain distance with an airport sign while taxiing.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made November 2, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- November 18, 2021 · cases in 2021
- Place
- Carlsbad, California · Mc Clellan-Palomar · cases near this airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Phoenix Air U-15 PHOENIX, built 2010
- Registration
- N44DY · registry record · serial 02
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot in the tailwheel equipped glider reported that, after landing, he taxied off the runway onto a ramp area. A business jet was being towed by a tug on the taxiway he normally used to get to his hangar. The ground controller issued the pilot instructions to pass by the jet and turn right. The tail-low configuration of the glider made the pilot’s visibility limited while taxiing. During the turn, the glider’s right wing collided with an airport sign, substantially damaging the composite structure. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions with the glider 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 (from runway) defining event
The NTSB's findings
- Personnel issues › Psychological › Attention/monitoring › Monitoring environment › Pilot
- Environmental issues › Physical environment › Object/animal/substance › Sign/marker › Effect on operation
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: rotorcraft: glider
- Flight time: 4,202 hours in all; 942 in this make and model; 105 in the last 90 days; 15 in the last 30 days; 4,202 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: October 19, 2021
- Medical certificate: None
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,207 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, November 1, 2021
- Maximum gross weight: 1,320 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Rotax 912ULS SERIES (piston); 668 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: F70 Murietta CA at 11:30 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 24, 4,897 ft by 150 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear at 15,000 ft
- Temperature: 70°F (21°C), dew point 30°F (-1°C)
- Altimeter: 30.01 inHg
- Observation at 1:53 pm from KCRQ
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 |
Photographs from the investigation 2 pictures from the NTSB's docket, as the NTSB released them
The NTSB's photographs with the NTSB's captions, at screen size. Open a picture to see it full size or to report one that should not be shown.
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
2 documents, released by the NTSB on April 20, 2022. 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 | Photo Array | PDF, 1 page · our copy | View Download |
The same docket at the NTSB · documents without a copy here are fetched from the NTSB when you open them.
Connections how this case links to the rest of the register
- N44DY on the register today · the tail number may have moved to another aircraft since
- Engine: Rotax 912ULS SERIES 3,383 aircraft carry this series today · as the NTSB recorded it
- MC Clellan-Palomar Airport · nearest airport
- French Valley Airport · departed from
- Accidents and incidents in California 9,080 since 1982 · 1,098 in the last ten years
- California 27,686 aircraft registered
The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/WPR22LA042.json.
The bigger picture in Aviation Analytics: accidents over time since 1982, by model, by phase of flight and conditions, by place and on the map.
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 does not name anyone involved, its policy at this time. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.