What happened
On September 26, 2002, a Cessna 150, registration I-LUNE, was taxiing toward a parking area at Rimini Airport following a training flight. During the taxi maneuver, the aircraft was struck by the high-velocity exhaust blast from the engines of a parked Ilyushin IL-62M. The force of the jet blast lifted the light aircraft off the ground, causing it to impact the asphalt with its nose. There were no injuries to the two occupants (an instructor and a student), but the aircraft sustained visible damage to the propeller and the right wingtip. A subsequent inspection of the engine revealed a crack in the crankshaft.
The investigation
The ANSV investigation focused on the positioning of the heavy aircraft and the taxi path of the training aircraft. Investigators found that the Ilyushin IL-62M had been assigned to stand S7, a position intended for aircraft with a 4C airport reference code, whereas the IL-62M required a 4D code. To accommodate the larger aircraft in the smaller stand, it had been parked parallel to the terminal rather than orthogonally, as required by airport layout plans.
Furthermore, the investigation determined that the pilot of the I-LUNE was not following the prescribed yellow taxi line because the path was obstructed by ground support equipment, including tractors and ladders. This deviation placed the Cessna 150 approximately 48 meters away from the IL-62M's engines at the moment the larger aircraft began its taxi, placing it directly within the path of the engine blast.