| Crash location | 34.887500°N, 114.627222°W
Reported location is a long distance from the NTSB's reported nearest city. This often means that the location has a typo, or is incorrect. |
| Nearest city | Bullhead City, AZ
35.147777°N, 114.568298°W 18.3 miles away |
| Tail number | N38137 |
|---|---|
| Accident date | 25 Apr 2003 |
| Aircraft type | Piper PA-28-181 |
| Additional details: | None |
On April 25, 2003, at 1059 mountain standard time, a Piper PA-28-181, N38137, collided with a fuel truck while taxing to parking at Laughlin/Bullhead International Airport, Bullhead City, Arizona. National Air College, Inc., was operating the airplane under the provisions of 14 CFR Part 91. The pilot and two passengers were not injured. The airplane was substantially damaged. Visual metrological conditions prevailed and no flight plan had been filed. The personal cross-country flight originated at French Valley Airport, Murrieta, California, at 0930.
The pilot reported in the Pilot/Operator Aircraft Accident Report (NTSB Form 6120.1/2) that the fuel truck was parked with the operator inside the vehicle and no fueling was in progress. He stated that he was taxing at a normal taxi speed with the nose wheel on the centerline, and was not aware that the fuel truck was obstructing the taxi way. He said he "misjudged the distance" between the airplane and fuel truck, and the airplane struck the fuel truck with the outboard 18 inches of the left wing.
The pilot's misjudgment of distance resulting in the inadequate clearance between the wing tip and the fuel truck.