Accident Details
Probable Cause and Findings
The pilot's failure to maintain clearance from a fuel truck parked near his taxi route. Factors include a dark night and a vehicle parked near the pilot's route of taxi.
Aircraft Information
Registered Owner (Current)
Analysis
On April 26, 1997, approximately 2300 Pacific daylight time, a Cessna 172, N73934, collided with a fuel truck while being taxied at Pullman-Moscow Regional Airport, Pullman, Washington. The private pilot and his three passengers where not injured, but the aircraft, which was owned and operated by Interstate Aviation of Pullman, sustained substantial damage. The FAR Part 91 personal pleasure flight, which departed Coeur d' Alene, Idaho about 30 minutes earlier, was being operated in visual meteorological conditions when the pilot landed at Pullman. The pilot had not filed a flight plan, and the ELT was not activated during the accident.
According to the pilot, who had landed after dark, he was making a 180 degree turn in order to align the aircraft with the parking spot in which he intended to stop, when the left wing of the aircraft collided with a stationary fuel truck.
The pilot failed to return an NTSB Form 6120.1/2.
Data Source
Data provided by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB). For more information on this event, visit the NTSB Records Search website. NTSB# SEA97LA095