No fatalities

13 Feb 2016: CONSOLIDATED VULTEE BT 15 NO SERIES — Curtiss Bruce Christenson — Chino, CA

Chino, CA, United States

On 13 Feb 2016, a CONSOLIDATED VULTEE BT 15 NO SERIES operated by Curtiss Bruce Christenson was involved in an aviation accident near Chino, CA. No fatalities were reported. Investigators recorded the probable cause as: The taxiing pilot's failure to remain a safe distance from the stopped airplane while taxiing to the run-up area, resulting in a ground collision and substantial damage. This summary draws on records from NTSB; 4 related events involving the same aircraft type or operator are linked below.

SourcesNTSBPrimary reportUpdated 1778583330Data APIEditorial standards

Two aircraft collided on the ground when a taxiing aircraft attempted to maneuver around a stopped aircraft in a non-movement area, resulting in minor wing damage and substantial fuselage damage.

Incident Overview

A ground collision occurred between two aircraft during taxi operations in a non-movement area. The pilot of the taxiing aircraft reported that while maneuvering around another airplane that had stopped, the left wing of his airplane impacted the tail of the stationary airplane. The collision took place as the taxiing pilot was en route to a run-up area to perform a maintenance check.

Pilot Reports

The pilot of the stopped airplane stated that he had moved his aircraft out of the refuel station to allow other aircraft to refuel. He then taxied south and stopped in the non-movement area adjacent to the aircraft tie-downs. According to his account, he remained stationary for approximately five minutes while setting up radios and receiving ATIS information for his upcoming flight. He reported feeling an impact from the rear of his airplane, after which he shut down the engine and exited the aircraft.

Both pilots indicated that there were no mechanical failures or anomalies with their airplanes prior to or during the taxi that would have prevented normal flight operation.

Damage Assessment

The taxiing airplane sustained minor damage to its left wing. The stopped airplane incurred substantial damage to the aft fuselage and vertical stabilizer.

Contributing factors

PilotResponse/compensationPilot of other aircraftEffect on equipment