What happened
On July 11, 1971, at approximately 10:25 AM, a Cessna U 206 B, registration HB-CSC, was taxiing from Hangar North toward the general aviation apron at Zurich Airport. The pilot had requested taxi instructions via Zurich Ground Control and was instructed to hold short of the tarmac while remaining mindful of the jet blast from an Ilyushin IL-62.
As the pilot proceeded along Taxiway 2, the aircraft approached an Ilyushin IL-62, registration CCCP-86'683, which was positioned sideways across the taxiway. The pilot, under the impression that the larger airliner had already reached its parking position and was shutting down its engines, proceeded past the holding line. At that moment, the Ilyushin IL-62 increased its engine power to maneuver toward parking stand "Romeo 1". The resulting jet blast, which reached speeds of approximately 80 km/h at the position of the Cessna, caught the light aircraft and flipped it onto its back. The pilot escaped the incident uninjured, though the Cessna U 206 B sustained heavy damage.
The investigation
The investigation established that the Ilyushin IL-62 was idling with two engines running and its rotating beacon active while awaiting instructions from the marshaller. The distance between the tail of the large jet and the Cessna was roughly 80 meters. Investigators determined that the pilot's decision to move past the holding line was based on the incorrect assumption that the airliner's engines were being extinguished.
Findings
- The primary cause of the accident was the pilot taxiing the aircraft at a dangerously close proximity to the rear of an Ilyushin IL-62 as it increased engine thrust.
- The pilot failed to maintain the instructed hold short position relative to the jet blast zone.
- The intense exhaust velocity of approximately 80 km/h was sufficient to overturn the light aircraft.