On November 10, 2003, a Beech 1900D (registration N254GL) was involved in an aviation accident near Denver, CO. Investigators recorded the probable cause as: The crew's failure to verify taxi clearance while following marshalling instructions, which led to the left winglet impacting another aircraft. This summary draws on records from the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) historical archive; 8 related events involving the same aircraft type or operator are linked below.
An aircraft's left winglet struck another plane during taxi because the crew did not verify clearance instructions from the marshaller.
What happened
The flight crew was adhering to the marshalling instructions provided by the ground marshaller. The aircraft moved at a slow speed while taxiing on the ramp area. However, the crew failed to verify the issued clearance before proceeding. As a result, the left winglet of the accident airplane made contact with the right wing of another Beech 1900D parked nearby.
The investigation
Following the impact, the captain shut down the engines immediately. The passengers were deplaned without further incident. No mechanical failure or marshaller error was cited as a primary cause; the focus remained on the lack of clearance verification by the flight crew.
Probable cause
The crew's failure to verify taxi clearance while following marshalling instructions, which led to the left winglet impacting another aircraft.