Summary
On August 21, 2009, a Morgan James E MORGAN RV6 (N116JM) was involved in an incident near Everett, WA. All 1 person aboard were uninjured. The aircraft sustained substantial damage.
The National Transportation Safety Board determined the probable cause of this incident to be: The pilot’s failure to maintain clearance from objects during taxi. Contributing to the accident was the inadequate marking of the taxiway and obstacles.
The pilot started the airplane and began his taxi between two rows of hangars. As he approached the east-west taxiway at the end of the rows, he stopped to contact ground control and look at the windsock. After several minutes, ground control cleared him to taxi to runway 16L. He began to taxi toward the east-west taxiway, and was about to start making S-turns to look for obstacles. After traveling 40-60 feet, the propeller, right wing, and right landing gear contacted poles surrounding a fire hydrant. The right wing sustained substantial damage. The pilot noted that the airplane had conventional landing gear, and he could not see the hydrant or surrounding poles over its nose.
This incident is documented in NTSB report WPR09CA416. AviatorDB cross-references NTSB investigation data with FAA registry records to provide comprehensive safety information for aircraft N116JM.
Accident Details
Probable Cause and Findings
The pilot’s failure to maintain clearance from objects during taxi. Contributing to the accident was the inadequate marking of the taxiway and obstacles.
Aircraft Information
Registered Owner (Current)
Analysis
The pilot started the airplane and began his taxi between two rows of hangars. As he approached the east-west taxiway at the end of the rows, he stopped to contact ground control and look at the windsock. After several minutes, ground control cleared him to taxi to runway 16L. He began to taxi toward the east-west taxiway, and was about to start making S-turns to look for obstacles. After traveling 40-60 feet, the propeller, right wing, and right landing gear contacted poles surrounding a fire hydrant. The right wing sustained substantial damage. The pilot noted that the airplane had conventional landing gear, and he could not see the hydrant or surrounding poles over its nose. He also indicated that there was no taxi stripe from between the hangars to the east-west taxiway that would lead a pilot away from the poles.
Data Source
Data provided by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB). For more information on this event, visit the NTSB Records Search website. NTSB# WPR09CA416