Incident
On February 25, 2009, about 1617 central standard time, a Cessna 172S airplane (registration N5258Y) and a Cessna 172N airplane (registration N734WD) collided during taxi operations at Johnson County Executive Airport (OJC) in Olathe, Kansas. Both flights were personal flights operating under Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 without flight plans. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed.
Aircraft and Occupants
The Cessna 172S was occupied by a private pilot and a non-rated passenger. The Cessna 172N was occupied by a solo student pilot. According to the report, neither the private pilot nor the passenger in the 172S, nor the student pilot in the 172N, were injured. The 172S received minor damage, and the 172N was substantially damaged.
Sequence of Events
The 172S pilot received clearance from the tower controller to taxi from the east parking ramp south on taxiway Bravo to taxiway Juliet, which crossed runway 18/36 and connected to taxiway Alpha. At taxiway Juliet, the pilot was instructed to hold short of runway 36 for arriving traffic. After receiving clearance, the pilot crossed the runway. As the 172S approached the intersection of taxiway Juliet and Alpha, the pilot diverted attention to the run-up area of runway 36 to observe airplanes performing run-ups. During the turn, the 172S impacted the left side of the 172N. Neither the private pilot nor the passenger reported seeing the 172N before impact.
The 172N had completed a dual instruction ride and landed on Runway 36. The student pilot taxied clear of the runway on a midfield taxiway, where air traffic control (ATC) transcripts show she requested and received clearance to taxi to Runway 36 via Taxiway A. She stopped on the taxiway, and her certified flight instructor (CFI) began to deplane to allow her to continue solo. The tower controller contacted her and informed her that the CFI could not exit on the taxiway. The CFI returned to the airplane, and the tower controller cleared the 172N to taxi to the parking ramp. The student pilot then taxied north on Taxiway A to the west parking ramp. The CFI deplaned, and the student pilot taxied south on taxiway Alpha without obtaining new taxi clearance from the tower controller. She reported seeing the 172S on the connecting taxiway before impact but believed it would stop.
Air Traffic Control
According to FAA investigators, a single tower controller was on duty at the time of the accident. The controller was not aware that the 172N was taxiing south on taxiway Alpha and was following aircraft activity on a different area of the airfield at the time of the collision.
Damage
Examination of the 172N revealed a propeller strike to the left wing spar, a bent left horizontal stabilizer, and a bent fuselage tail cone.