No fatalities

3 May 2015: PIPER J3C-65 (N4678A) — Joseph A. Begany — De Kalb, IL

De Kalb, IL, United States

On 3 May 2015, a PIPER J3C-65 (registration N4678A) operated by Joseph A. Begany was involved in an aviation accident near De Kalb, IL. No fatalities were reported. Investigators recorded the probable cause as: The pilot's loss of positional awareness while taxiing, resulting in a collision with a parked and unoccupied airplane. This summary draws on records from NTSB; 12 related events involving the same aircraft type or operator are linked below.

SourcesNTSBPrimary reportUpdated 1778583330Data APIEditorial standards

A tailwheel airplane collided with a parked Beech A36 while taxiing after landing. The pilot reported that following the taxi line and addressing brake issues could have prevented the accident.

Accident Description

A pilot, seated in the rear tandem seat of a tailwheel airplane, had just completed a landing and was taxiing toward the fuel pumps for refueling. During the taxi, the pilot did not see a parked Beech A36 over the nose of his airplane and subsequently collided with the right wing of N4678A.

Pilot Account

The pilot stated that the accident could have been prevented if he had followed the taxi line on the tarmac. He also cited his "less than effective brakes" as a contributing factor, which hindered his ability to control the airplane in the wind. According to the pilot, these issues diverted his attention, causing him to lose sight of surrounding obstructions.

Pilot Experience

The pilot reported a total flight time of 82 hours, with 13 hours of experience in the accident airplane.

Contributing factors

Causes

Pilot

Other contributing factors

Ability to respond/compensateCapability exceeded