20040410005129A

Accident · Substantial damage

FAA accident report · Amrgen AA-5B · San Jose, CA · April 10, 2004

Date: April 10, 2004 · 13:25 local
Place: San Jose, CA
Airport: San Jose International
Phase of flight: Ground Taxi, Other Airplane
Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
Damage: Substantial damage
Aircraft: N74270
NTSB investigation: NTSBLAX04LA184
Reported as: Amrgen AA5B
People aboard: 1
Fatal injuries: 0
Pilot’s flight hours: 1,350 total1,150 in this make and model25 in the last 90 days

N74270Registered now · Grumman American Avn. AA-5BS/N AA5B-0178 · Built 1975 Airframe modelGrumman American Avn. AA-5B Engine modelLycoming O&VO-360 seriesReciprocating

From the FAA’s Accident/Incident Data System (AIDS), through its Aviation Safety Information Portal, as reported. The NTSB investigates accidents separately, and its record of an accident is the fuller one. The aircraft is matched to the registry 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.

What happened

The FAA’s narrative, in sentence case. The FAA writes it in capitals and removes private details.

(-23) N74270, a gruman AA5 was cleared to taxi south bound on taxiway "v" after landing, to the parking area by sjc ground at 22:22 UTC, N949BP a global express was cleared to taxi from the sjc jet center ramp at 22:23 UTC, and instructed to follow the gruman on "v". N949GP was parked at 90 degrees to taxiway "v" with the nose pointing west on the west side of taxiway "v", N74270 had not yet passed behind N949GP at the time of the N949GP'S clearance to taxi. Based on the time stamp on the sjc jet center surveillance video, the global started movement about 22:24:47, about 22:24:50 the gruman was upset by the jet blast from the global as it passed behind he global. The jet blast lifted the gruman slightly and pushed it sideways with enough force to cause the left main strut assembly to fail and break off. It also created enough side loading on the vertical stabilizer to cause it to twist and buckle the fuselage on the left side and crack the left rear side window of the gruman.

As the FAA filed it

(-23) N74270, A GRUMAN AA5 WAS CLEARED TO TAXI SOUTH BOUND ON TAXIWAY "V" AFTER LANDING, TO THE PARKING AREA BY SJC GROUND AT 22:22 UTC, N949BP A GLOBAL EXPRESS WAS CLEARED TO TAXI FROM THE SJC JET CENTER RAMP AT 22:23 UTC, AND INSTRUCTED TO FOLLOW THE GRUMAN ON "V". N949GP WAS PARKED AT 90 DEGREES TO TAXIWAY "V" WITH THE NOSE POINTING WEST ON THE WEST SIDE OF TAXIWAY "V", N74270 HAD NOT YET PASSED BEHIND N949GP AT THE TIME OF THE N949GP'S CLEARANCE TO TAXI. BASED ON THE TIME STAMP ON THE SJC JET CENTER SURVEILLANCE VIDEO, THE GLOBAL STARTED MOVEMENT ABOUT 22:24:47, ABOUT 22:24:50 THE GRUMAN WAS UPSET BY THE JET BLAST FROM THE GLOBAL AS IT PASSED BEHIND HE GLOBAL. THE JET BLAST LIFTED THE GRUMAN SLIGHTLY AND PUSHED IT SIDEWAYS WITH ENOUGH FORCE TO CAUSE THE LEFT MAIN STRUT ASSEMBLY TO FAIL AND BREAK OFF. IT ALSO CREATED ENOUGH SIDE LOADING ON THE VERTICAL STABILIZER TO CAUSE IT TO TWIST AND BUCKLE THE FUSELAGE ON THE LEFT SIDE AND CRACK THE LEFT REAR SIDE WINDOW OF THE GRUMAN.

NTSB investigation

The NTSB’s investigation of this event, with its probable cause and findings. Matched to this report by N-number and date.

NTSB LAX04LA184Accident · No injuriesLimited investigationFinal reportSan Jose, CAthe pilot's encounter with jet blast effects. Factors in the accident were the pilots' inadequate situational awareness of the potential for the jet blast encounter after hearing the Global Express airplane on the frequency call ready for taxi, and, the…Apr 10, 2004 · Substantial damage