Narrative
On 31 October 2009 at 1400 UTC, a Cessna 172S Skyhawk, registration G-SHSP, operated on a private flight, rolled forward during engine start and struck a parked Enstrom 480 helicopter, registration G-LADZ, at Sleap Airfield, Shropshire. The pilot had just refueled the Cessna following an uneventful local flight. The parking brake was off during refueling and remained off while the engine was started. For the engine start, the pilot held his feet on the rudder pedals and toe brakes. Once the engine was running, the pilot completed the engine-start checklist items before noticing that the aircraft was moving forward. He applied further pressure to the pedals but the aircraft continued to move, so he repositioned his feet and reapplied pressure to the brake pedals. The aircraft responded immediately but only came to a stop as it hit the Enstrom 480, which was parked approximately 20 metres from the refueling location.
Aircraft Information
G-SHSP, a Cessna 172S, was manufactured in 1999 and powered by one Lycoming IO-360-L2A piston engine. G-LADZ, an Enstrom 480, was manufactured in 1993 and powered by one Allison 250-C20W turboshaft engine.
Pilot Background
The pilot of G-SHSP held a National Private Pilot’s Licence and was 88 years old. He had 1,920 hours total flying experience, with only 4 hours on the Cessna 172 type. In the last 90 days he flew 2 hours, and in the last 28 days 1 hour. He had 70 hours experience on Piper PA-28 aircraft and 14 hours total on Cessna C150 or C172 types.
Damage
The collision caused damage to the inboard leading edge of both wings of G-SHSP and damage to the rear fuselage and fin of G-LADZ.
Cause Assessment
The pilot assessed that his first reaction had been to apply the brakes in the way he was used to from his relatively longer experience of flying Piper PA-28 aircraft rather than the Cessna. The source notes that the Piper and Cessna pedal assemblies differ: the Piper has separate rudder pedal pads with toe brake pedals attached above, while the Cessna uses a one-piece pedal. Both require pressure to the top of the pedals to operate brakes.