Probable cause
The student pilot’s failure to maintain clearance from a truck while taxiing.
NTSB analysis
While taxiing out for a solo flight, the student pilot misjudged his wingtip clearance with a parked truck. The airplane initially made contact with the outboard 2 ft of the right wing, then pivoted about 90° to the right while tipping to the left and contacting the ground with the propeller and left wingtip before coming to rest. The student pilot was not injured, but the airplane was substantially damaged. According to the student pilot, he was taxiing at 10 to 15 mph, when the right wing impacted the truck. He stated that “It was completely an act of my misjudgment” and that next time, he would not only proceed with more space than necessary, but he would use the most extreme caution “slowing down to a snail’s pace.”
Text from the NTSB. Open the NTSB docket for ERA25LA138 for the full record.
Event
- Date
- Mar 3, 2025
- Type
- Accident
- Place
- Knoxville, Tennessee
- Nearest airport
- Sky Ranch (TN98)
- Highest injury
- None
- Weather
- Visual (VMC)
- Light
- Day
Cessna 172I
- N-number
- N35411
- Category
- Airplane
- Year built
- 1968
- Damage
- Substantial
- Operating rule
- Part 91 (general aviation)
- Purpose of flight
- Instructional
From the NTSB aviation accident database: N-registered aircraft, events since 2008, data through Oct 28, 2026. The file is published monthly, so the latest weeks are incomplete and recent records can change. The official source is the NTSB aviation investigation search. CheckAero is independent and not affiliated with the NTSB.