Incident Overview
On 18 April 1999 at 1800 UTC, a Reims Cessna F152 (registration G-IBRO) experienced a wing spar failure after a taxiing incident at Leicester Airport. The aircraft was manufactured in 1985 and powered by a single Lycoming O-235-N2C piston engine. The flight was a private training sortie with two crew (an instructor and a student) and no passengers. Both crew reported no injuries.
Sequence of Events
After completing a dual training flight, the student pilot was taxiing the aircraft back to the normal parking area at a normal speed. While passing between the refuelling point and some parked aircraft, the student inadvertently applied the right brake, causing the aircraft to swing to the right. The instructor applied both brakes but was unable to prevent the right wing tip from striking the refuelling kiosk. The instructor then stopped the engine, completed the shutdown checks, and inspected the wing tip, which initially appeared to have only minor damage.
Damage and Findings
The damage was reported to the engineers, who subsequently discovered that the right rear wing spar had failed approximately 9 inches from the inboard wing attachment point. The aircraft's commander held a Commercial Pilot's Licence with an Instructor Rating, was 58 years old, and had 2,175 total flying hours (1,200 on type), with 160 hours in the last 90 days and 58 hours in the last 28 days.
Investigation Source
Information for this report was derived from the Aircraft Accident Report Form submitted by the pilot. The AAIB Bulletin reference is 7/99, case number EW/G99/04/35, category 1.3.