Student Pilot Strikes Obstacle During Unguided Taxi at G.V. Bibescu Aerodrome

Casualties unknown • Platforma hangarului SSAvC a Aerodromului G. V. Bibescu – Ploiești, Ploiești, Prahova, RO

A student pilot damaged a Tecnam P2008-JC after striking a fuel tank protection during an unsupervised taxi maneuver at a Romanian flight academy.

What happened

On July 29, 2019, a Tecnam P2008-JC, registration YR-MDY, was involved in a serious incident at the Romanian Aviation Academy platform of G. V. Bibescu Aerodrome. The aircraft, operated for training purposes, was being operated by a student pilot following an engine start procedure.

After the engine was started, the instructor pilot temporarily left the cockpit to attend to personal matters, instructing the student pilot to wait. During this interval, a member of the technical team used non-standard hand gestures to signal the student pilot to relocate the aircraft from parking position B1 to C4 to accommodate an arriving aircraft. The student pilot closed the right-hand door and began taxiing toward the new position without a ground dispatcher to guide the movement. During the maneuver, the left wingtip struck a metallic protection structure surrounding a fuel tank, resulting in minor damage to the leading edge of the wing.

The investigation

The investigation established that the student pilot attempted to move the aircraft unguided and unsupervised. While the instructor had instructed the student to wait, the lack of an instruction to shut down the engine created the opportunity for the movement to be initiated.

Furthermore, the investigators found that the technical staff member who signaled the aircraft movement did not possess the required ground dispatcher qualification at the time of the event. The investigation also noted that there were no specific internal procedures regulating whether a crew member could leave an aircraft after engine start but before departure. The commission determined that had the instructor instructed the student to shut down the engine, the need for repositioning would not have arisen.

Findings

  • The student pilot was performing the maneuver without the supervision of the instructor pilot.
  • The technical staff member used non-standard hand signals and lacked formal ground dispatcher training.
  • The student pilot failed to maintain adequate clearance from platform obstacles during the unguided taxi.
  • The aircraft's left wingtip struck a metallic fuel tank protection.
  • There was no established procedure regarding crew members leaving the aircraft after engine start.

Probable cause

The primary cause of the incident was the student pilot's lack of attention to ground obstacles while taxiing the aircraft without guidance or instructor supervision.

Frequently asked questions

What happened in the 2019-07-29 Tecnam P2008-JC accident near Platforma hangarului SSAvC a Aerodromului G. V. Bibescu – Ploiești, Ploiești, Prahova, RO?

A student pilot damaged a Tecnam P2008-JC after striking a fuel tank protection during an unsupervised taxi maneuver at a Romanian flight academy.

What aircraft was involved and where did it happen?

The accident on 2019-07-29 involved a Tecnam P2008-JC, registration YR-MDY, at Platforma hangarului SSAvC a Aerodromului G. V. Bibescu – Ploiești, Ploiești, Prahova, RO.

What was the probable cause of the accident?

The primary cause of the incident was the student pilot's lack of attention to ground obstacles while taxiing the aircraft without guidance or instructor supervision.

Loading the flight search…