Incident Overview
On 18 February 2004 at 1440 UTC, a Cessna 150M (registration G-BPAX) and a Cessna 152 (registration G-OBEN) were involved in a ground collision at Shoreham Airfield, West Sussex. The Cessna 150M, operated on a private flight, had two crew on board and no passengers. The Cessna 152, flown on a training flight, also carried two crew and no passengers. No injuries were reported.
Sequence of Events
The pilot of G-BPAX completed pre-takeoff checks and began taxiing towards Hold B1 for Runway 03, keeping the nose of the aircraft aligned with the taxiway centreline. Weather conditions were fine, with a surface wind from 360° at approximately 12 kt. G-OBEN was positioned in the engine run-up area prior to Hold B1 and was stationary, with the parking brake applied. The pilot under instruction was completing pre-takeoff checks. The stationary aircraft had been intentionally positioned out of wind, with its nose pointing towards the taxiway, to ensure that the propeller wash would not affect the approach path or other aircraft on the ground.
As G-BPAX passed abeam the stationary aircraft, the pilot misjudged the available clearance. The left wingtip of G-BPAX collided with the turning propeller of G-OBEN, causing damage to both aircraft. G-BPAX sustained left wing damage, while G-OBEN's propeller was damaged.
Pilot Experience and Comments
The commander of G-BPAX was 21 years old and held a JAA Private Pilot's Licence. His total flying experience was 85 hours, of which 60 hours were on type. The commander of G-OBEN was 24 years old, held a UK Commercial Pilot's Licence and Flight Instructor Rating, and had 380 total flying hours, with 100 hours on type.
In post-incident comments, the pilot of G-BPAX acknowledged that he had misjudged the wingtip clearance, although he expressed an opinion that the other aircraft had been poorly positioned in the run-up area.