Cessna 172A N7222T

Summary

On 17 May 1998 at about 23:00 local time, a Cessna 172A registered N7222T was involved in an accident near Van Nuys, California, United States. One person was on board and nobody was injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

17 May 1998 at 23:00

Classification

Accident

Location

Van Nuys, California, United States

Nearest airport

Van Nuys (VNY)

Coordinates

34.1898, -118.4908

Aircraft

Cessna 172A

Registration

N7222T

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Unknown → Los Angeles

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

LAX98LA163

Nobody was injured.

The pilot's failure to maintain obstacle clearance due to his inadequate visual lookout and selection of the wrong taxi route. Contributing factors were the pilot's diverted attention while taxiing in the vicinity of a construction area.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot received a ground control clearance to taxi for takeoff from his transient position near the northeast side of the airport to the beginning of runway 16L. He proceeded slowly in a northerly direction and became somewhat confused regarding the route to take as he approached a barricaded area under construction. According to the pilot, he decided to use a northbound vehicle service road (instead of the taxiway) because earlier, with his flight instructor, he had used another service road near the construction area. While proceeding on the road he diverted his attention toward the active runway, and the airplane's right wing collided with a perimeter boundary fence pole. The taxiway markings in the vicinity of the accident site were subsequently inspected to ascertain their degree of conformity with Advisory Circular 150/5340-1G, Standards for Airport Markings. Deficiencies were noted in the vicinity of the barricaded detour area where the pilot reported he had previously taxied. This area was devoid of a taxiway centerline marking. Several hundred feet north of this location, at the intersection of the accident site taxiway and the vehicle service road, the minimum FAA recommended markings were present. Subsequently, the airport's management painted additional ground markings to enhance the conspicuity of the taxiway/access road intersection near the accident site.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.