Summary
On July 27, 2010, a Gulfstream GIV (N905LP) was involved in an incident near New York, NY. All 6 people aboard were uninjured. The aircraft sustained substantial damage.
The National Transportation Safety Board determined the probable cause of this incident to be: The flight crew’s failure to maintain adequate wing tip clearance from a light pole during taxi.
According to the first officer, the airplane was being directed to the parking area by one marshaler, who was positioned in front of, and to the left of the airplane. The first officer looked out his window to determine the right wing's clearance from a blast fence, but could not see the wingtip due to the sun's position behind the airplane. According to a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) inspector, the captain stated that he knew the wing was "close" to the fence, but the marshaler was signaling to continue. The airplane's right wingtip then impacted a light pole inside the blast fence, resulting in substantial damage. The captain stated that prior to impact, the marshaler never signaled them to stop.
This incident is documented in NTSB report ERA10CA382. AviatorDB cross-references NTSB investigation data with FAA registry records to provide comprehensive safety information for aircraft N905LP.
Accident Details
Probable Cause and Findings
The flight crew’s failure to maintain adequate wing tip clearance from a light pole during taxi.
Aircraft Information
Registered Owner (Current)
Analysis
According to the first officer, the airplane was being directed to the parking area by one marshaler, who was positioned in front of, and to the left of the airplane. The first officer looked out his window to determine the right wing's clearance from a blast fence, but could not see the wingtip due to the sun's position behind the airplane. According to a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) inspector, the captain stated that he knew the wing was "close" to the fence, but the marshaler was signaling to continue. The airplane's right wingtip then impacted a light pole inside the blast fence, resulting in substantial damage. The captain stated that prior to impact, the marshaler never signaled them to stop. The marshaler stated to the FAA inspector that she attempted to signal the captain to stop, but his head "was turned to the right." The FAA inspector also reported that the first officer never advised the captain to stop the airplane or use caution in the "tight area."
Data Source
Data provided by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB). For more information on this event, visit the NTSB Records Search website. NTSB# ERA10CA382