On November 5, 1998, a DE Havilland TIGER MOTH DH 82A (registration N838KC) was involved in an aviation accident near Petaluma, CA. Investigators recorded the probable cause as: Failure of the pilot in the Tiger Moth to see and avoid traffic. A contributing factor was the delayed reaction of the student pilot in the Cessna to initiate a turnoff of the taxiway once it became apparent that the other airplane did not see him. This summary draws on records from the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) historical archive.
A Dehavilland Tiger Moth and a Cessna 152 collided on the taxiway after the Tiger Moth pilot did not see the Cessna.
Incident
A ground collision occurred on the taxiway between a Dehavilland Tiger Moth, registration N838KC, and a Cessna 152, registration N68459. No mechanical anomalies were noted with either airplane.
Sequence of Events
The pilot of the Tiger Moth had turned off the runway after landing and was taxiing to the refueling pit. During the turn, the pilot did not see another airplane on the taxiway. The Cessna 152 had just finished refueling and radioed that it was entering the taxiway to taxi to the active runway. When the Cessna was on the taxiway, its pilot saw the Tiger Moth on the taxiway. Initially, the Cessna pilot could not determine which direction the Tiger Moth was moving. As soon as he realized the Tiger Moth was headed towards him, he radioed that he was on the taxiway. The Tiger Moth continued towards the Cessna, performing S-turns down the center of the taxiway. The Cessna pilot radioed again, then attempted to exit the taxiway when it became apparent that the Tiger Moth did not see him. During the turn to avoid the collision, the left wings of both airplanes collided. The Cessna pilot reported that during the turn, he saw the front seat passenger of the Tiger Moth turn his head in the direction of the Cessna.