Accident Details
Probable Cause and Findings
the failure of the pilot to see and avoid the tractor resulting in an on ground collision. A factor in this accident was the limited forward visibility from the cockpit of the airplane.
Aircraft Information
Registered Owner (Current)
Analysis
On September 17, 1997, about 1030 eastern daylight time, a Piper PA-18A-150, N3985P, registered to a private owner, operating as a Title 14 CFR Part 91, local flight, struck a tractor while taxiing near Bainbridge, Georgia. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan was filed. The airplane was substantially damaged. The commercial-rated pilot, one passenger, and the driver of the tractor were not injured.
According to the police incident report, the tractor and sweeper had been sweeping the tarmac most of the morning. The tractor had an amber strobe light attached to the roll bar and flashing hazard lights on its fender. According to the incident report, "..all were in working order" when the police officer checked them.
N3985P had landed and was taxiing east on the tarmac. The tractor was traveling west on the tarmac when the accident occurred.
The driver of the tractor told the police, "...he was sweeping the tarmac and observed the aircraft exit the taxiway and start towards him...the aircraft made an "S" turn, and came straight at him and the tractor...he was in fear of being hit by the aircraft and tried to get out of the way before the aircraft reached him, but he hit the aircraft trying to get out of the way."
The pilot showed the police officer "the very limited visibility he has from the cockpit when he is on the ground." The pilot explained to the police officer that, "...after he left the taxiway and got onto the tarmac he made a left turn so he could look to his right and then a right turn so he could look to his left. He said the tarmac appeared to be clear of any traffic so he straightened the aircraft and continued to travel east...moving very slow while on the tarmac. After straightening the aircraft...[he] said he heard and felt the crash of the tractor and aircraft...he never saw the tractor or the sweeper."
The passenger in the front seat of the airplane, a student pilot, stated, "...he did not see the tractor. His visibility was also limited to the sides of the aircraft."
The pilot did not return the NTSB Form 6120.1/2, and his account of the accident are not known.
Data Source
Data provided by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB). For more information on this event, visit the NTSB Records Search website. NTSB# MIA97LA247