# Accident 20011015027579A: Cessna 172P, Knoxville, TN, October 15, 2001 - Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported - Date: October 15, 2001, 08:55 local time - Place: Knoxville, TN - Airport: Mc Ghee Tyson - Damage: Substantial damage - Phase of flight: Idling Engines - Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91) - Location: 35.8111° N, 83.9941° W: Placed by OpenAirDocs at MC GHEE TYSON (TYS), within about a mile (OpenAirDocs) - Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=35.8111&lon=-83.9941&mi=10 - Aircraft: N52685, registered now (https://openairdocs.org/aircraft/N52685) (OpenAirDocs) - Registry model: Cessna 172P (registry code 2072436, https://openairdocs.org/model/cessna-172p) (OpenAirDocs) - Registry engine: Lycoming 0-320 series (registry code 41508, https://openairdocs.org/engine/lycoming-0-320-series) (OpenAirDocs) - Reported make and model: CESSNA 172P - Reported engine: LYC O320D2J - People aboard: 2 - Fatal injuries: 0 - Pilot flight hours: 432 total, 402 in this make and model, 41 in the last 90 days - NTSB investigation: [NTSB MIA02LA009](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/MIA02LA009) (OpenAirDocs) - FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/) - Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/20011015027579A ## Narrative As the FAA filed it, in capitals; the FAA replaces private details with ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^. (-23) PILOT HAD RECEIVED AN IFR CLEARANCE AND WAS CLEARED FOR TAXI BY TYS GROUND CONTROL. PILOT REALIZED A WHEEL CHOCK WAS STILL IN PLACE. HE SET THE PARKING BRAKE, GOT OUT OF THE AIRCRAFT TO REMOVE THE CHOCK AND WHEN HE REMOVED THE CHOCK THE AIRCRAFT STARTED TO MOVE. HE WAS UNABLE TO CATCH UP WITH THE AIRCRAFT AND THE AIRCRAFT RAN INTO A CONCRETE PILLAR CAUSING SUBSTANTIAL DAMAGE. (.4) ON OCTOBER 15, 2001, ABOUT 0855 EASTERN DAYLIGHT TIME, A CESSNA 172P, N52685, REGISTERED TO MARASHI AVIATION, LLC., OPERATING AS A TITLE 14 CFR PART 91 PERSONAL FLIGHT, SUSTAINED A GROUND COLLISION WITH AIRPORT TERMINAL CONCRETE COLUMNS AT KNOXVILLE'S MCGHEE TYSON AIRPORT, TENNESSEE. VISUAL METEOROLOGICAL CONDITIONS PREVAILED AND AN INSTRUMENT FLIGHT PLAN WAS FILED. THE AIRCRAFT RECEIVED SUBSTANTIAL DAMAGE, AND THE COMMERCIALLY-RATED PILOT AND A PASSENGER WERE NOT INJURED. THE PLANNED DEPARTURE HAD NOT OCCURRED AT THE TIME OF THE ACCIDENT. ACCORDING TO THE PILOT, AFTER ENGINE START AND ATTEMPT TO TAXI, HE REALIZED THAT A CHOCK WAS STILL IN PLACE AT HIS RIGHT MAIN WHEEL. HE SET THE PARKING BRAKE, TOLD HIS RIGHT SEAT OCCUPANT TO SIT STIL L, AND EXITED THE COCKPIT TO REMOVE THE CHOCK. ONCE HE REMOVED THE CHOCK, THE AIRCRAFT TAXIED FORWARD WHERE THE RIGHT WING COLLIDED WITH A CONCRETE COLUMN OF THE TERMINAL CANOPY, PIVOTING THE AIRCRAFT AND CAUSING THE LEFT WING TO COLLIDE WITH ANOTHER COLUMN. THE WING MAIN SPAR SUSTAINED DAMAGE, AS WELL AS LEFT WING FUEL TANK RUPTURE. POSTCRASH EXAMINATION OF THE COCKPIT REVEALED THAT THE PARKING BRAKE WAS NOT SET. HE STATED THAT THE PARKING BRAKE MUST HAVE BEEN INADVERTENTLY RELEASED AS HE SLID OUT OF HIS SEAT. ACCORDING TO AN FAA INSPECTOR, THE DISTANCE THE UNPILOTED AIRCRAFT TRAVELED PRIOR TO THE COLLISION WITH THE CONCRETE COLUMNS WAS ABOUT 300 FEET. THE RAMP POSSESSED A SLIGHT DOWNHILL SLOPE IN THE DIRECTION THE AIRCRAFT WAS HEADED AT ENGINE START, AND ALTHOUGH THE PILOT TRIED TO CATCH THE TAXIING AIRCRAFT, HE WAS UNABLE. THE LEFT WING SUSTAINED LEADING EDGE COLLISION DAMAGE ONE FOOT FROM THE WING TIP, THE RIGHT WING LEADING EDGE SUSTAINED DAMAGE JUST OUTBOARD OF THE LIFT STRUT ATTACHMENT, AND THE WING SPAR CENTER SECTION WAS BENT. THE PASSENGER EXITED THE AIRCRAFT, POSTCRASH, UNINJURED. TWO FAA INSPECTORS EXAMINED THE BRAKE SYSTEM AND FOUND NO DISCREPANCIES. THEIR CONCLUSION WAS, "IT IS MY OPINION THAT THE PILOT ACCIDENTALLY HIT THE PARKING BRAKE HANDLE WITH HIS KNEE WHEN HE EXITED THE AIRCRAFT AND THE RETURN SPRING FOR THE HANDLE PULLED THE PARKING BRAKE HANDLE TO THE OFF POSITION, RELEASING THE BRAKES." ## The NTSB's investigation of this event (1) From the NTSB's public API. Aircraft are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported serial number, make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model. - [NTSB MIA02LA009](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/MIA02LA009), Oct 15, 2001: Cessna 172P (N52685), Knoxville, TN, substantial damage. Probable cause: The pilot's inattentive preflight inspection, non-compliance with the prestart checklist, decision to leave the cockpit unattended with engine running, and his inadvertent deactivation of the parking… From the FAA Accident/Incident Data System. Reports are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model. For accidents, the NTSB's own investigation is the fuller record. --- OpenAirDocs.org is an independent research project of [Contrail Labs](https://contraillabs.com/). It is not affiliated with the FAA or the NTSB. Source documents are U.S. government works in the public domain.