Accident Brief: North American SNJ Hit Another Plane While Taxiing

No one was injured when a North American SNJ hit a parked plane in Chino, California.

Gemini Sparkle

Key Takeaways:

  • A tailwheel-equipped airplane's left wing collided with a stopped airplane's propeller while the tailwheel pilot was taxiing into the run-up area, claiming he did not see any other aircraft.
  • The incident resulted in substantial damage to the left wing of the tailwheel airplane.
  • Both pilots reported no preimpact mechanical failures, with the probable cause identified as the taxiing pilot's failure to maintain clearance from the stopped airplane.
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The pilot of a tailwheel-equipped airplane reported that he was doing S-turns while taxiing and that he did not see any airplanes in the run-up area. While positioning the airplane in the run-up area, his airplane’s left wing collided with the propeller of a stopped airplane.

The pilot of the stopped airplane reported that, after completing a run-up and waiting for a clearance to depart, he saw a “warbird” entering the run-up area. The other airplane continued straight, and the left wing collided with his airplane’s propeller.

The tailwheel-equipped airplane sustained substantial damage to the left wing.

Both pilots reported that there were no preimpact mechanical failures or malfunctions with their airplanes that would have precluded normal operation.

Probable cause(s): The pilot’s failure to maintain clearance from a stopped airplane while taxiing.

NOTE: The report republished here is from the NTSB and is printed verbatim and in its complete form. 

Isabel Goyer

A commercial pilot, Isabel Goyer has been flying for more than 40 years, with hundreds of different aircraft in her logbook and thousands of hours. An award-winning aviation writer, photographer and editor, Ms. Goyer led teams at Sport Pilot, Air Progress and Flying before coming to Plane & Pilot in 2015.
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