Cessna F172 Collision with Fueling Station at Mortagne Aerodrome

Incident Overview and Damage Assessment On April 7, 2012, at approximately 16:05 local time, a Cessna F172 registered F-BURV, operated by a flying club, collided with a fueling station while taxiing at Mortagne aerodrome (61). The aircraft sustained significant damage to the right wing, including a cracked wingtip and a dented leading edge. Following the incident, an adhesive was applied to the wingtip by a local aeroclub, and the instructor decided to fly the aircraft back to Pontoise. A subsequent inspection by mechanics revealed severe damage to the right wing's rear spar and deformation of the wing's upper surface. ## Operational Context and Contributing Factors The flight was an instructional trip between Pontoise and Mortagne involving an instructor and two students. The student at the controls, who had approximately 45 flight hours, taxied the aircraft off runway 07 via a central taxiway. The instructor directed the student to use a right-side taxiway crossing the fueling area to avoid an aircraft parked in the path. The instructor later realized the right wing was too close to the fueling station but could not stop the aircraft in time. The distance between the taxiway center and the fueling station was 5 meters, which was less than the aircraft's half-span. The taxiway lacked specific signage or a marked centerline, and the fueling station was not mentioned on the VAC chart. ## Investigation Findings and Safety Actions The investigation concluded that the collision resulted from the late detection of insufficient clearance between the aircraft and the fueling station. Contributing factors included the instructor's divided attention due to giving handover instructions and personal concerns, which led to decisions aimed at saving time, such as using the taxiway without waiting for the parked aircraft to move and skipping a full pre-flight inspection after the collision. The instructor, aged 75, had been an instructor since 1977 with approximately 4,650 flight hours. Following the incident, the aeroclub issued a safety briefing on operating damaged aircraft, and a corrective action regarding the taxiway was added to the surveillance authority's action plan after an inspection on June 5, 2012.