What happened
On 17 December 2006, a Piper PA-28-140, registration G-BAHF, was involved in a ground collision at Coventry Airport during a training flight. Prior to the incident, the commander had moved the aircraft from its hangar to prepare for a trial lesson with a student and a passenger.
As the passengers boarded, the commander noticed the windscreen was heavily fogged. To assist with demisting, he decided to leave the aircraft door open until the engine was running. During the engine start sequence, the commander placed his feet on the rudder pedals to assist with the process. However, the student pilot, following previous instructions, had positioned their leg in a manner that obstructed the commander's access to the brake handle.
Crucially, the parking brake had not been engaged. As the engine started, the aircraft began to move forward. The commander attempted to stop the engine by pulling the mixture control to the idle cut-off position. Despite this effort, the aircraft continued to move, resulting in a low-speed collision with an adjacent Piper Seneca. There were no injuries to the two crew members or the passenger, though the collision caused minor damage to the wings, flaps, door, and tail cone of the other aircraft.
The investigation
The investigation established that the aircraft was not equipped with toe brakes, meaning the commander relied entirely on the hand-operated brake handle. The investigation found that the commander's view of the brake handle was obscured by the student pilot's leg, which was positioned against the rudder pedals. Furthermore, the commander's attention was divided by the need to manage the fogged windscreen and the task of latching the door.
Findings
- The parking brake had not been applied prior to engine start.
- The commander was unable to quickly locate the brake handle because it was obstructed by the student pilot's leg.
- The commander's vision was limited by a rapidly fogging windscreen.
- The aircraft lacked toe brakes, necessitating the use of the hand brake handle.