Piper PA-14 N4241H

Summary

On 1 September 2004 at about 00:50 local time, a Piper PA-14 registered N4241H was involved in an accident near Cordova, Alaska, 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

1 September 2004 at 00:50

Classification

Accident

Location

Cordova, Alaska, United States

Nearest airport

Merle K (Mudhole) Smith (PACV)

Coordinates

60.4919, -145.4778

Aircraft

Piper PA-14

Registration

N4241H

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Cordova → McCarthy

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

ANC04LA100

Nobody was injured.

The pilot's failure to maintain an adequate visual lookout during taxi, which resulted in a collision with a runway marker sign. A factor contributing to the accident was sunglare in the pilot's eyes.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The commercial certificated pilot was preparing to taxi for takeoff. Another airplane taxied behind the accident airplane, waiting for the pilot to proceed. The pilot was not ready, and motioned to the second airplane to move ahead. When it did not move, the pilot decided to move his airplane out of the way, and he taxied outside of the taxiway lights and stopped. The pilot said that the sun was in his eyes, and after the second airplane departed, he began to taxi his airplane forward. He did not see a taxiway sign for taxiway "C" that was under the nose of his airplane. The sign was about 3 feet wide, and 3 feet high. The right main landing gear struck the sign, and the landing gear strut was displaced aft about 18 inches. The right wing lift struts were bent when they struck the top of the taxiway sign.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.