N6557H

On June 18, 2000, at 1715 central daylight time, a Cessna 172M, N6557H, operated by a student pilot collided with a T-hangar while taxiing on the ramp at the Decatur Airport, Decatur, Illinois. The pilot was not injured. The airplane was substantially damaged. The 14 CFR Part 91 solo instructional flight was operating in visual meteorological conditions without a flight plan.

The pilot reported that he was cleared for takeoff on runway 36 when he requested a clearance to taxi back to the south T-hangars because he suspected a problem with the airplane's engine. The pilot reported the tower instructed him to taxi on runway 36 to the midfield taxiway. He stated that about 1/3 the way down the runway he was instructed to turn around and back taxi to the taxiway he was originally on.

The pilot reported that as he entered the taxiway he noticed another airplane near the Aeroclub office. He reported that as he continued north to the ramp the other airplane began taxiing to the south on the same taxi line that he was on. He stated he thought the other airplane was going to stop, but it did not. The pilot stated, "...I gave up the yellow line and moved to the left not knowing whether he was going to continue moving toward the taxiway or stop. I was concerned by the continued movement of the other Cessna and had directed my vision toward it and lost focus of how close I was to the hangar. I then caught the left wingtip on the southeast corner of the hangar south of the Aeroclub."