What happened
On April 16, 2002, at approximately 13:45 local time, a Cessna 172, registration EC-EKX, was involved in a ground collision at Bilbao Airport. The aircraft, operated for non-commercial pleasure flight, had completed a flight consisting of a 30-minute excursion followed by 30 minutes of takeoff and landing practice. Upon returning to the general aviation apron, the pilot attempted to taxi toward a parking position.
To facilitate a planned 180-degree turn within the parking area, the pilot of the Cess/a 172 maneuvered the aircraft as close as possible to a parked Cessna 150, registration EC-GGM. During this maneuver, the left wing of the EC-EKX passed over the nose of the EC-GGM. At that moment, the engine of the EC-GGM was running, and its propeller struck the wing of the moving aircraft.
The investigation
The investigation established that the pilot of the EC-EKX intended to park the aircraft with the nose pointing toward the interior of the apron to ensure an easy exit for future departures. This required a tight turn that necessitated hugging the parked EC-GGM very closely. The investigation confirmed that the propeller of the EC-GGM was in motion at the time of the impact.
Findings
- The primary cause of the collision was that the pilot of the Cessna 172 failed to maintain an adequate distance from the other aircraft during the taxi maneuver.
- The pilot of the EC-EKX failed to observe that the engine of the EC-GGM was running.
- The collision resulted in minor damage to the EC-GGM propeller and the loss of the plastic leading edge of the EC-EKX left wing, with some damage to the underlying metal structure. No injuries were reported for the occupants of either aircraft.