N686JAPiper PA-28-181 · 2022

The pilot stated that he was practicing touch-and-go landings at different airports. After his second landing at the airport, he was taxing back to the runway for departure to a different airport. During the taxi, he was looking down at his tablet computer, loading in a new route, when the airplane ran off the paved surface and into a sign. The collision resulted in substantial damage to the underside of the right wing. The pilot reported that there were no preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures of the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.

The student pilot had landed following completion of a solo cross-country flight and was taxiing the airplane along a taxiway. A video from a security camera depicted the airplane taxiing while an individual who was not wearing visible hearing protection, audio headphones, or wearing visibility-enhancing outer clothing was performing landscape work with a powered edger alongside a building. As the airplane approached the location of the building travelling at what the pilot reported as a “standard ground speed,” the landscape worker, who reported he did not notice the airplane approaching from his left, moved towards the taxiway. As the airplane continued along the taxiway centerline, the worker moved to the edge of the taxiway with his head tilted down and then turned to the right to follow the edge of the taxiway placing his back to the approaching airplane. The outboard portion of the airplane’s right wing near the wingtip contacted the worker and knocked him forcefully to the ground resulting in serious injuries. The airplane veered slightly to the right off centerline before stopping.

Postaccident examination of the airplane by a Federal Aviation Administration inspector revealed that the airplane’s wing had incurred minor damage. The inspector also found that there were no discrepancies with the airplane’s braking or steering systems, nor did the pilot report any. Additionally, there were no skid marks on the taxiway and the main landing gear tires did not exhibit any flat spots consistent with no heavy braking having been applied before the collision.