Pilot Debrief

Cessna 172 near Tokyo — 2019-12-15

Final reportANC20CA014
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Date
2019-12-15
Location
Tokyo, JP
Airport
RJTY
Aircraft
Cessna 172
Registration
N22905
Category
Airplane
Highest injury
None
Fatalities
0
Phase of flight
Taxi

Probable cause

The airplane’s encounter with prop wash while taxiing behind a larger airplane that was conducting a high-power engine run on the same taxiway. Contributing to the accident was the air traffic controller’s failure to inform the smaller airplane’s pilot about the larger airplane pilot’s intentions.

NTSB narrative

The operator's operations chief reported that an air traffic controller instructed the flight instructor and pilot to taxi to a taxiway and that, subsequently, the airplane encountered prop wash from a larger airplane on the same taxiway, which flipped the airplane onto its right side and resulted in substantial damage to the forward wing spar. The larger airplane's pilot reported that he was conducting a high-power engine run on the same taxiway. The air traffic controller did not tell the pilots in the smaller airplane at any time while they were taxiing about the larger airplane's intentions. The pilot of the larger airplane reported that all requests for engine start, taxi, and high-power engine runs were coordinated with air traffic control (ATC). He added that they had to reposition due to a tailwind and that he had made a radio call to ATC and acknowledged that they had repositioned on the ramp to face into the wind. He added that he heard the lighter airplane receive a taxi clearance but did not hear any communications questioning the larger airplane's status or position with respect to any potential impact on aircraft taxiing behind them on the taxiway. He became aware of the lighter airplane's situation after the event when its pilot made a radio call to ground control.

Analysis

Primary failure mode
Human factors
First missed decision gate
ATC should have informed the light airplane of the larger aircraft's intentions.

NTSB coding

Evidence available

  • Photos
  • 3 docket documents
View NTSB final reportView NTSB docket

Docket documents3

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