Incident Details
On July 30, 2008, at 0951 Hawaii standard time, a Cessna 172, registration N5329L, operated by Flight School Hawaii, Inc., experienced a taxiway incident at Honolulu International Airport in Honolulu, Hawaii. The airplane was substantially damaged, but the certified flight instructor (CFI) and student on board were not injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and a visual flight rules (VFR) flight plan had been filed for the flight conducted under Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91.
Sequence of Events
According to the pilot's report, the CFI and student were taxiing southwest on taxiway Charlie when ground control instructed them to switch to the tower frequency and monitor. As the aircraft approached the intersection of taxiway Charlie and taxiway Delta, it began to tip over. Through the left window, the occupants felt warm air from the jet wash of a parked FedEx MD-11. The jet wash lifted the airplane and then dropped it, causing the propeller to strike the taxiway surface. The aircraft then spun around to the right, pivoting on its right wing tip. The CFI shut down the engine, and both occupants egressed the airplane.
FedEx Aircraft Operations
FedEx personnel informed a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) inspector that the MD-11 was carrying live animals (horses) and required interior cooling. The airplane's auxiliary power unit (APU) was inoperative, and the ground power unit was malfunctioning and unable to provide cooling. Consequently, the number 2 engine (tail engine) was started to power the air conditioning packs and cool the cabin. The FAA inspector determined that there was no requirement for the FedEx aircraft to notify ground control when starting an engine. FedEx typically notifies ground control when requesting a push back or performing maintenance engine run-ups in parking or gate areas.
Aircraft Information
The Cessna 172, N5329L, was operated by Flight School Hawaii, Inc. The aircraft sustained substantial damage during the incident. No other injuries or additional damage were reported.