Tucson, AZ, USA
N628R
PIPER PA30
The pilot reported that he had a headache before the flight, that his thinking had been impaired all day, and that he was having trouble with his left-side motor skills. He flew a cross-country flight in order to accomplish a check ride, but during the oral examination his headache persisted so he canceled the remainder of the oral exam and the scheduled check ride. The pilot flew to his home base, and after landing he could not slow the airplane before reaching his intended taxiway, so he continued to the next taxiway. The airplane did not stop or turn when crossing the second taxiway and continued forward until it struck a light post with the right wing tip tank. Fuel began escaping as the airplane continued forward into a building's plate glass window. The pilot estimated that his speed at the point of contact was 5 mph, and he stated that he did not hit his head. Several hours after the accident, the pilot's wife noticed that he was shuffling his left foot, and he was still feeling the severe headache that he had at the start of the day. He went to a hospital that night for examination where medical personnel discovered a subdural hematoma and performed immediate surgery to remove blood from his brain. It is likely that the pilot was neurologically impaired during the flight and thus unable to manipulate the rudder control and brakes to maneuver during taxi to avoid the collision with the building.
On November 10, 2010, about 1657 mountain standard time, a Piper PA30, N628R, collided with a light post and a building during taxi after landing at Tucson International Airport, Tucson, Arizona. The pilot/owner was operating the airplane under the provisions of 14 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Part 91. The airline transport pilot with a certified flight instructor (CFI) certificate was not injured. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the right wing. The cross-country personal flight departed Stellar Airpark, Phoenix, Arizona, at 1520, with a planned destination of Tucson. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan had been filed. The pilot reported that his thinking had been impaired all day. He had a severe headache, and he was having trouble with his left side motor skills. The pilot flew from Tucson to Phoenix earlier in the day to complete a flight check for his CFI renewal. Due to the headache he was experiencing, he terminated the check ride during the oral examination. The pilot returned to Tucson, and landed on runway 11L. He could not slow the airplane down by taxiway A11, so he continued to taxiway A13. He was unable to stop the airplane prior to crossing taxiway A or execute a left turn. The airplane continued forward until it struck the Fire Department warning light post with the right wing tip tank. Fuel began escaping as the airplane continued forward into the Fire Department's plate glass window. The pilot estimated that his speed at the point of contact was 5 miles per hour, and he stated that he did not hit his head. The pilot reported no mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airplane. Several hours after the accident, the pilot's wife noticed that he was shuffling his left foot. He stated that he was still feeling the severe headache that he had at the start of the day. He went to a hospital that night for examination. Medical personnel discovered a subdural hematoma and they performed immediate surgery to remove blood from his brain.
The pilot's impairment by an undiagnosed medical condition, which resulted in a loss of directional control and subsequent collision with a building during the landing roll. Contributing to the accident was the pilot's decision to fly when he was not feeling well.
Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database
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