- Date
- June 9, 1997, 10:00 local (15:00 UTC)
- Place
- St. Cloud, MN
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Taxi
- Aircraft
- N68454Cessna 152
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report September 5, 1997
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19970609021689A
- Case key
- 10590
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's misjudgment of his clearance around the parked vehicle. A factor was the location of the parked vehicle.
Sequence of events
NTSB’s coding before 2008: each occurrence and phase of flight, and the causes and factors under it. The codes are defined in NTSB’s coding manual.
Analysis
The student pilot was taxing for takeoff when the left wing of the airplane contacted a parked fire truck which was parked in front of the T-hangar area. The pilot reported he saw the parked fire truck but thought he had sufficient clearance to continue taxiing.
Factual narrative
On June 9, 1997, at 1000 central daylight time, a Cessna 152, N68454, operated by St. Cloud State University Aero, Inc., and flown by a student pilot collided with the parked fire truck while taxiing for takeoff at the St. Cloud Regional Airport, St. Cloud, Minnesota. The pilot was not injured. The airplane was substantially damaged. The 14 CFR Part 91 solo instructional flight was originating at the time of the accident.
The student pilot reported he was taxiing to runway 13 for takeoff when the accident occurred. He reported he was on the taxiway near the T-hangars when he noticed a fire truck parked in front of hangar five. He reported that he continued to taxi as he did not think there would be a conflict with the truck. As he taxied by the truck the left wing contacted the truck rotating the airplane to the left so that the nose of the airplane also contacted the truck.
According to the Federal Aviation Inspector who traveled to the airport, another pilot reported having to taxi off the taxiway in order to maintain clearance with the truck. The fire truck was parked in this location as a precautionary measure because 14 CFR Part 121 operations were taking place.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N68454
- Reported as
- Cessna 152
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 15282302
- Engine
- Lycoming O-235-L2C, 110 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Scsu Aero Club, Inc.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal; Standard, Utility
- Departed
- STC
- Flight plan
- Unknown
- Airport
- STC · St. Cloud Regional
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
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 20
- Certificate
- Student
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 41 total · 41 in this make and model · 11 as pilot in command · 20 in the last 90 days · 4 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 150° at 7 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 70 °F, dew point 45 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- STC
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.