No fatalities

Wing Strikes Parked Vehicle During Taxi After Landing

Wickenburg, AZ, United States

On May 12, 2016, a PIPER PA28 161 operated by Transpac Aviation Academy was involved in an aviation accident near Wickenburg, AZ. No fatalities were reported. Investigators recorded the probable cause as: The pilot's failure to monitor the parked vehicle, which resulted in a ground collision and substantial damage to the left wing. This summary draws on records from NTSB; 16 related events involving the same aircraft type or operator are linked below.

SourcesNTSBPrimary reportUpdated 2026-08-03Data APIEditorial standards

A pilot taxiing after landing struck a parked vehicle with the left wing after focusing on another parked airplane, causing substantial damage to the wing spar.

Incident Details

After landing, the pilot was taxiing in the ramp area. According to the pilot's report, his attention was directed toward an airplane parked to his right. He did not monitor the proximity of a vehicle parked to his left. As a result, the left wing of the airplane struck the parked vehicle.

Aircraft Damage

The collision caused substantial damage to the left wing spar. No other damage was reported.

Pilot Report

The pilot stated that no mechanical malfunctions or failures occurred with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation. The incident was attributed solely to the pilot's focus on the aircraft to the right and his lack of awareness of the vehicle to the left.

Contributing factors

PilotAwareness of condition