Piper PA-28-161 N4345C

Summary

On 4 March 1997 at about 19:50 local time, a Piper PA-28-161 registered N4345C was involved in an accident near Tampa, Florida, United States. One person was on board and nobody was injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged. No probable cause statement is available for this record.

Date

4 March 1997 at 19:50

Classification

Accident

Location

Tampa, Florida, United States

Nearest airport

Peter O'knight (TPF)

Coordinates

Not recorded

Aircraft

Piper PA-28-161

Registration

N4345C

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

MIA97LA094

Nobody was injured.

The NTSB has not published a probable cause for this record. No probable cause statement is present in the source data.

Nothing about the cause is stated here that is not in the source record.

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot had landed and was taxiing back to the departure runway using the adjacent taxiway, when the airplane struck a tractor that was cutting grass to the left of the taxiway. The tractor was mowing along the taxiway lights and was travailing to the northeast, halfway on the hard surface and halfway into the grass. The tractor driver was approaching each light, lifting his mower, passing over the light and lowering the mower again to mow in between the lights. According to the tractor driver he was 'traveling in a straight line, and was sure he had not turned out in front of the approaching airplane.' At the time of impact the driver stated that he was watching the mower and did not see the airplane until after the impact. The airplane approached the tractor from behind and he was unaware that it was coming until it hit the tractor. A witness said, '...I saw aircraft N4345C, taxing on the taxiway parallel to runway 21 and 3...toward runway 21, at an excessive rate of speed, and the tractor mowing at the side of the taxiway was going in the same direction, when the aircraft hit the back of the tractor, with the left wing without trying to slow down or stop....'

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.