No fatalities

3 Dec 2012: BEECH F90 — Grande Aviation — Knoxville, TN

Knoxville, TN, United States

On 3 Dec 2012, a BEECH F90 operated by Grande Aviation was involved in an aviation accident near Knoxville, TN. No fatalities were reported. Investigators recorded the probable cause as: The pilots’ decision to maneuver the airplane in close proximity to a hangar. This summary draws on records from NTSB; 6 related events involving the same aircraft type or operator are linked below.

SourcesNTSBPrimary reportUpdated 1778583330Data APIEditorial standards

During a post-evaluation flight taxi, a 180-degree turn to position for ground handling resulted in the right horizontal stabilizer striking a hangar support beam, causing substantial damage to the empennage.

Accident Summary

At the conclusion of an evaluation flight, the airplane was taxied to the hangar area under the direction of the right seat pilot. After reaching the hangar area, the left seat pilot initiated a 180-degree turn to better position the aircraft for post-flight ground handling. During this maneuver, the right side of the horizontal stabilizer struck one of the hangar's support beams.

Damage Detail

The collision resulted in substantial damage to the horizontal stabilizer, vertical stabilizer, and the empennage. No further details regarding the extent of the damage were provided.

Operator Response

In response to the incident, the operator implemented a new policy requiring the use of an external spotter when maneuvering the aircraft in the vicinity of obstacles.

Contributing factors

PilotCopilot