What happened
On March 31, 2008, a Christen A-1 Husky, registration PH-KIS, was taxiing at Rotterdam Airport following a banner towing flight. While proceeding along taxiway Yankee toward the Foxtrot Apron, the pilot encountered a stationary Cessna Citation, registration CS-DFP, positioned perpendicular to the taxiway. As the PH-KIS passed behind the larger aircraft, the crew of the Citation applied full power to the left engine for an operational check flight. The resulting jet blast caught the Christen A-1 Husky, forcing the aircraft to tip over onto its nose. The impact caused heavy damage to the left wingtip, propeller, and engine, though the pilot escaped without injury.
The investigation
The investigation examined the coordination between air traffic control (ATC) and the aircraft crews, as well as the presence of ground safety personnel. It was established that the crew of the CS-DFF was performing engine run-up tests at parking spot Bravo 1. While the pilots had requested start-up and ground test permissions, the investigation found that the specific communication protocols for applying full power were not clearly communicated during the handoff between Rotterdam Delivery and Rotterdam Tower.
Furthermore, the investigation looked into the presence of a marshaller, who was required by airport work instructions to act as a lookout during high-power engine runs. At the time of the accident, the assigned marshaller was engaged in training activities at a different parking spot, leaving the area near the Citation without a dedicated observer to warn approaching traffic.
Findings
Several contributing factors led to the accident:
- The crew of the CS-DFP did not request or receive specific approval to apply full power, due to a lack of clear instruction regarding the required communication procedures.
- There was a lack of communication to the pilot of the PH-KIS regarding the engine testing occurring near the active taxiway.
- The absence of a required lookout at the engine test site meant that the approaching light aircraft was not warned of the impending jet blast.
- The aircraft's anti-collision beacon was not active, reducing the visibility of the stationary aircraft to the approaching pilot.
- Existing airport work instructions lacked specific, detailed procedures for managing engine ground runs for large turbofan-equipped aircraft.