- Date
- September 24, 2011, 13:30 local (18:30 UTC)
- Place
- Houston, TX
- Injuries
- 3 uninjured
- Phase of flight
- Taxi
- Defining events
- Taxi: Ground collisionStanding-engine(s) operating: Ground collision
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report November 3, 2011
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- Central Region
- Parties
- FAA/FSDO
- FAA reports
- 20110924021922A20110924021932A
- Case key
- 81892
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
Probable cause
The pilot of the other airplane’s failure to maintain visual contact while taxiing.
The pilot’s failure to maintain visual contact while taxiing.
Findings · 2
NTSB’s coded findings. Those marked are part of the probable cause; the rest are factors or other findings. Under each, the cases with the same finding.
N54087 · Boeing E75
N72566 · Cessna 172R
Sequence of events
The events NTSB coded, in order, by phase of flight. The defining event is the one that best describes the accident. Under each, the cases with the same event anywhere in their sequence.
N54087 · Boeing E75
N72566 · Cessna 172R
Analysis
After landing, the certified flight instructor and the student pilot turned off the runway, passed over the hold short lines, and stopped on the taxiway to perform the after-landing checklist. While performing these duties, the airplane was struck from behind by another airplane and sustained substantial damage to the vertical stabilizer, rudder, horizontal stabilizer, and empennage. The other airplane sustained substantial damage to the lower right wing spar.
After landing, the pilot was cleared to taxi his tailwheel-equipped airplane to the ramp and was aware that another airplane would be in front of him as he taxied. As he crossed over an active runway onto the taxiway, he steered straight ahead and did not perform any s-turns to maintain visual contact of the airplane ahead of him. As he cleared the runway, he looked down to change his radio frequency and suddenly realized that he needed to look out for the airplane in front of him. When he looked up, he saw the right wingtip of the other airplane and did not have time to stop before he collided into its tail. The collision resulted in substantial damage to the lower right wing spar. The other airplane sustained substantial damage to the entire tail section including the vertical stabilizer, the rudder, the horizontal stabilizer, and the empennage.
Factual narrative
After landing, the certified flight instructor and the student pilot turned off the runway, passed over the hold short lines, and stopped on the taxiway to perform the after-landing check list. While performing these duties, the airplane was struck from behind by another airplane and sustained substantial damage to the vertical stabilizer, the rudder, the horizontal stabilizer, and the empennage. The other airplane sustained substantial damage to the lower right wing spar.
After landing, the pilot was cleared to taxi his tail-wheel equipped airplane to the ramp and was aware that another airplane would be in front of him as he taxied. As he crossed over an active runway onto the taxiway, he steered straight ahead and did not perform any s-turns to maintain visual contact of the airplane ahead of him. As he cleared the runway, he looked down to change his radio frequency and suddenly realized that he needed to look out for the airplane in front of him. When he looked up, he saw the right wing tip of the other airplane and did not have time to stop before he collided into its tail. The collision resulted in substantial damage to the lower right wing spar. The other airplane sustained substantial damage to the entire tail section including the vertical stabilizer, the rudder, the horizontal stabilizer, and the empennage.
Aircraft · 2
- Registration
- N54087
- Reported as
- Boeing E75
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 75-1148
- Engine
- Cont Motor W670 SERIES, 250 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Operator
- History Flight Inc
- Registered owner
- History Flight Inc
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Departed
- EFD · Houston, TX
- Destination
- EFD · Houston, TX
- Flight plan
- Unknown
- Airport
- EFD · Ellington Field
Matched to the registry by N-number and the event date; the registry’s history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.
- Registration
- N72566
- Reported as
- Cessna 172R
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 17281012
- Engine
- Lycoming IO-360, 180 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Operator
- Rhm Holdings LLC
- Registered owner
- Rhm Holdings LLC
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Departed
- EFD · Houston, TX
- Destination
- EFD · Houston, TX
- Flight plan
- Unknown
- Airport
- EFD · Ellington Field
Matched to the registry by N-number and the event date; the registry’s history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.
Flight crew · 2
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot, aircraft N54087
- Age
- 72
- Certificates
- Airline transport, Flight instructor
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2
- Flight hours
- 32,000 total · 1,200 in this make and model
- Role
- Flight instructor, aircraft N72566
- Age
- 57
- Injuries
- None
- Certificates
- Airline transport, Private, Commercial, Flight instructor
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1
- Flight hours
- 23,000 total · 92 in this make and model
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 260° at 3 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 3,500 ft broken
- Temperature
- 84 °F, dew point 70 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.02 inHg
- Observed at
- EFD
Docket · 2
The files NTSB released with the investigation on September 29, 2011, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 280 KB in all.
FAA reports on this event · 2
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.