What happened
On January 18, 2015, at approximately 15:50, a collision occurred on the apron at Pontoise Cormeilles aerodrome involving two Cessna 150 aircraft. The aircraft involved were registered as F-BXNX and F-BUBS.
The pilot of F-BUBS was preparing to depart from a parking position. After receiving taxi clearance from the controller following the passage of another aircraft, the pilot performed a brake check with the engine running and moved the aircraft forward slightly before coming to a stop.
Simultaneously, the student pilot and instructor aboard F-BXNX, returning from a dual instruction flight, were cleared to taxi to their parking spot. During the taxi maneuver, the F-BXNX passed several aircraft, including the running engines of F-BXNR and F-BXNQ, before approaching the stationary F-BUBS. As the F-BXNX passed the F-BUBS, the propeller of the latter struck the left wing of the F-BXNX, severing the wingtip. The student pilot continued taxiing for a few meters before stopping the engine at the parking spot.
The investigation
The investigation focused on the positioning of the aircraft and the visibility of the hazard. The pilot of F-BUBS stated that they had misjudged the distances and did not realize their aircraft was protruding beyond the designated parking area. The instructor aboard the F-BXNX reported that neither the student pilot nor the instructor noticed that the F-BUBS was positioned ahead of its assigned parking space.
Findings
- The F-BXNX sustained heavy damage to its left wing.
- The primary cause of the collision was the improper positioning of the F-BUBS, which was parked outside of its designated area.
- The crew of the F-BXNX failed to observe the protruding aircraft during their taxi maneuver.