- Date
- February 6, 2008, 10:45 local (16:45 UTC)
- Place
- Austin, TX
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Minor damage
- Phase of flight
- Standing
- Aircraft
- N53564Cessna 172S
- Defining event
- Standing-engine(s) operating: Miscellaneous/other
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report March 31, 2008
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 20080206010419A
- Case key
- 67514
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the incident.
On this page
Probable cause
The pilot's failure to maintain control of the airplane while parked on the ramp with the engine running.
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.
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.
Analysis
The commercial pilot/registered owner was standing on the ramp in his single-engine airplane with the engine running and the parking brake set. As the pilot was preparing to taxi, he dropped something on the floor. When he realized he could not reach the object, he moved his seat back so he could reach down to the floor. At that point, he felt motion and realized that he could not reach the brake pedals. Before the pilot could release his seatbelt and turn off the engine, the airplane struck two parked airplanes, resulting in minor damage to his airplane and one of the parked airplanes. However, the other parked airplane sustained substantial damage to the rudder, elevator, and horizontal stabilizer.
Factual narrative
The commercial pilot/registered owner was standing on the ramp in his single-engine airplane with the engine running and the parking brake set. As the pilot was preparing to taxi, he dropped something on the floor. When he realized he could not reach the object, he moved his seat back so he could reach down to the floor. At that point, he felt motion and realized that he could not reach the brake pedals. Before the pilot could release his seatbelt and turn off the engine, the airplane struck two parked airplanes, resulting in minor damage to his airplane and one of the parked airplanes. However, the other parked airplane sustained substantial damage to the rudder, and horizontal stabilator.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N53564
- Reported as
- Cessna 172S
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 172S9442
- Engine
- Lycoming IO-360-L2A, reciprocating
- Damage
- Minor damage
- Flight
- Part 91
- Registered owner
- Arnold Orange
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Departed
- AUS · Austin, TX
- Destination
- Unknown
- Flight plan
- Unknown
- Airport
- AUS · Austin Bergstrom International
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 72
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 3
- Flight hours
- 1,099 total · 473 in this make and model · 14 in the last 90 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
Docket · 1
The files NTSB released with the investigation on March 6, 2008, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 319 KB in all.
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.