What happened
During the pre-flight taxi phase, the commercial pilot was maneuvering the aircraft toward the runway for departure. While navigating the airfield surface, the pilot failed to maintain adequate lateral clearance from a significant obstruction on the ground. Specifically, the aircraft's landing gear struck a pothole measuring six inches in depth with a two-foot by two-foot footprint. The collision resulted in immediate structural damage, as the impact force buckled the engine firewall. Post-incident review confirmed that the pilot had previously identified the location of this hazard but miscalculated the remaining distance to the obstacle at the time of impact.
The investigation
Examination of the aircraft revealed specific mechanical consequences from the ground contact. The primary finding was deformation of the firewall structure, which serves as a critical barrier between the engine compartment and the cabin area. No other structural failures were immediately attributed to this specific taxiing incident in the provided records.
Findings
The contributing factor to this accident was the pilot's spatial awareness during ground operations. The investigation determined that while the pilot possessed prior knowledge of the pothole's existence, they misjudged the airplane's distance from it at the critical moment. This error in judgment led directly to the collision with the surface defect.