No fatalities

Pilatus and Cessna Collide on Taxiway at Unspecified Airport

Mesa, AZ, United States

On November 28, 2018, a Pilatus PC12 45 operated by Daylight Nightlight Ez Flight Llc was involved in an aviation accident near Mesa, AZ. No fatalities were reported. Investigators recorded the probable cause as: The pilot's failure to follow the air traffic controller’s instructions and his subsequent failure to maintain adequate lookout to see and avoid the other airplane on the taxiway. This summary draws on records from NTSB; 12 related events involving the same aircraft type or operator are linked below.

SourcesNTSBPrimary reportUpdated 1785761257Data APIEditorial standards

A Pilatus aircraft struck a parked Cessna after taxiing onto a taxiway without stopping as instructed by ATC. The Cessna's left wing sustained substantial damage, while the Pilatus's propellers were damaged.

Incident Overview

A ground collision occurred between a Pilatus and a Cessna on a taxiway at an unspecified airport. The Pilatus pilot reported receiving an IFR clearance from the local air traffic controller and then taxiing from the ramp to the taxiway. While turning onto the taxiway, the controller instructed the pilot to give way to another aircraft on the same taxiway. The pilot acknowledged the instruction, stopped the aircraft, and looked left, spotting a Cessna that had already passed. He then looked right, saw no other aircraft, and continued to taxi. Shortly thereafter, he realized the propellers had struck something, shut down the aircraft, deplaned, and discovered that he had struck another Cessna that he had not seen.

Cessna Pilot and Instructor Account

The flight instructor in the Cessna reported that, while the student pilot was taxiing back to the ramp, they were instructed by the local controller to follow company traffic while passing another aircraft to their left that was holding short of the same taxiway. The instructor looked left and saw a spinning propeller moving closer toward their aircraft. He immediately grabbed the controls and applied the right rudder pedal, but the other aircraft's propeller struck their left wing.

Aircraft Damage

The Pilatus sustained damage to its propellers. The Cessna sustained substantial damage to the left wing.

Mechanical Condition

Both the pilot of the Pilatus and the flight instructor in the Cessna reported that there were no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions with their aircraft that would have precluded normal operation.

Video Evidence

A video provided by the airport authority showed that the Pilatus taxied left onto the taxiway from the ramp without stopping. The video also depicted another aircraft further down the taxiway.

Contributing factors

PilotEffect on operationPilot of other aircraft