Pilot Debrief

DIAMOND AIRCRAFT IND INC DA 42 NG near Bozeman, MT — 2018-04-04

Final reportWPR18LA118
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Date
2018-04-04
Location
Bozeman, MT, USA
Airport
BZN
Aircraft
DIAMOND AIRCRAFT IND INC DA 42 NG
Registration
N621ZC
Category
Airplane
Highest injury
None
Fatalities
0

Probable cause

The student pilot and flight instructor's failure to see and avoid the stationary airplane during taxi, which resulted in a ground collision.

NTSB narrative

The tailwheel-equipped airplane had completed a series of touch-and-go takeoffs and landings with the student pilot in the front seat and flight instructor in the rear seat. The airplane was equipped with large tundra tires which, in combination with the tailwheel configuration, provided limited forward visibility when on the ground. The tower controller cleared the pilots to cross the landing runway, and then subsequently cleared the airplane across the parallel runway, which led it onto a taxiway where a low-wing airplane, having just cleared the parallel runway after landing, was stopped and preparing to contact ground control. Neither of the pilots onboard the tailwheel airplane saw the low-wing airplane before they collided with it on the taxiway, resulting in substantial damage to both airplanes. The student pilot stated that he perceived that he should expedite the taxi across the parallel runway due to airplanes on approach to that runway, although review of air traffic control voice recordings revealed that the controller issued no instructions to expedite the taxi. Because of the faster taxi speed, the pilots did not perform any "S"-turn maneuvers to enhance forward visibility, which likely would have allowed them to see the low-wing airplane and prevented the collision.

NTSB coding

View NTSB final report

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