On July 4, 2009, a CESSNA 172RG operated by American Flyers was involved in an aviation accident near Morristown, NJ. No fatalities were reported. Investigators recorded the probable cause as: The pilot's failure to maintain clearance from a parked aircraft during taxi operations. This summary draws on records from NTSB; 16 related events involving the same aircraft type or operator are linked below.
A flight instructor struck a parked airplane while taxiing from the right seat, damaging his aircraft's right wing rib and causing minor damage to the parked aircraft.
Accident
During a local instructional flight, the flight instructor was taxiing the airplane from the right seat after the flight. The aircraft was on centerline with the engine at idle. While maneuvering between two parked airplanes, the instructor's aircraft struck the airplane parked to its right.
Damage
The instructor's airplane sustained damage to the right wing rib. The parked airplane received minor damage.
Instructor Statement
The instructor reported that he "let his guard down" during the taxi. He also stated that there was nothing wrong with the performance and handling of his airplane.
Contributing factors
Instructor/check pilot
Related events
Same aircraft family
24 Aug 2026 — CESSNA 172M
21 Aug 2026 — CESSNA 172P (Vascular Wings LLC)
18 Aug 2026 — CESSNA 172L (Ocala Aviation Services INC)
16 Aug 2026 — CESSNA 172L (Foothill Aircraft Sales and Service Inc.)
9 Aug 2026 — CESSNA 172N (Kimber 123 Holdings LLC)
5 Aug 2026 — CESSNA 172P (Aire Services LLC)
4 Aug 2026 — CESSNA 172L
2 Aug 2026 — CESSNA 172 (Idaho Skyriders Flying Club)
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