What happened
While taxiing toward taxiway C-4, the crew of a DC-9 was alerted by the first officer to the presence of another aircraft at their eleven o'clock position. The captain immediately applied the brakes; however, the aircraft could not stop in time and struck the vertical stabilizer of a Cessna 310.
The pilot of the DC-9 reported that he did not observe any lights on the Cessna during his approach. Conversely, the pilot of the Cessna 310 stated that he had been positioned approximately three feet from the hold line for about three minutes, with his navigation lights and rotating beacon activated.
Findings
An investigation by the FAA determined that the distance from the hold line on taxiway C-4 to the centerline of the taxiway was 90 feet. When calculating the combined width of the DC-9 (half-width), the length of the Cessna 310, and the three-foot offset from the hold line, there was insufficient separation available between the two aircraft.