- Date
- November 28, 2018, 08:50 local (15:50 UTC)
- Place
- Mesa, AZ
- Injuries
- 7 uninjured
- Phase of flight
- Taxi
- Defining events
- Taxi-to runway: Ground collisionTaxi-from runway: Ground collision
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report March 3, 2020
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- General Aviation Accidents
- Parties
- FAA
- Case key
- 98699
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 other pilot's failure to follow the air traffic controller’s instructions and his subsequent failure to maintain adequate lookout to see and avoid the other airplane on the taxiway.
The pilot's failure to follow the air traffic controller’s instructions and his subsequent failure to maintain adequate lookout to see and avoid the other airplane on the taxiway.
Findings · 8
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.
N552TC · Pilatus PC12
N976SP · Cessna 172
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.
N552TC · Pilatus PC12
N976SP · Cessna 172
Analysis
The pilot of the Pilatus reported that, after the local air traffic controller gave him an instrument flight rules clearance, he taxied the airplane from the ramp to the taxiway. While turning onto the taxiway, the controller instructed him to give way to an airplane on the same taxiway. He acknowledged the instruction; stopped the airplane; looked left and saw a Cessna, which had already passed him. He then looked right and did not see any other airplanes on the taxiway and continued to taxi. Shortly after, he realized that the airplane's propeller had struck something, so he immediately shut down the engine, deplaned, and realized that he had struck another Cessna that he had not seen. The flight instructor in the Cessna that was struck reported that, while the student pilot was taxiing back to the ramp, they were instructed by the local air traffic controller to follow company traffic while passing another airplane to their left. He then looked left outside of the window and saw a spinning propeller moving toward the airplane. He immediately grabbed the controls and hammered the right pedal, but the other airplane's propeller struck their airplane's left wing. The Pilatus sustained damage to the propeller. The Cessna sustained substantial damage to the left wing. The pilot and the flight instructor reported that there were no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions with their respective airplanes that would have precluded normal operation. A video provided by the airport authority showed that the Pilatus taxied left onto the taxiway from the ramp without stopping and that there was another airplane farther down the taxiway.
The pilot of the Pilatus reported that, after the local air traffic controller gave him an instrument flight rules clearance, he taxied the airplane from the ramp to the taxiway. While turning onto the taxiway, the controller instructed him to give way to an airplane on the same taxiway. He acknowledged the instruction; stopped the airplane; looked left and saw a Cessna, which had already passed him. He then looked right and did not see any other airplanes on the taxiway and continued to taxi. Shortly after, he realized that the airplane's propeller had struck something, so he immediately shut down the engine, deplaned, and realized that he had struck another Cessna that he had not seen. The flight instructor in the Cessna reported that, while the student pilot was taxiing back to the ramp, they were instructed by the local air traffic controller to follow company traffic while passing another airplane to their left, "holding" short of the same taxiway. He then looked left outside of the window and saw a spinning propeller moving closer toward the airplane. He immediately grabbed the controls and hammered the right pedal, but the other airplane's propeller struck their airplane's left wing. The Pilatus sustained damage to the propeller. The Cessna sustained substantial damage to the left wing. The pilot and the flight instructor reported that there were no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions with their airplanes that would have precluded normal operation. A video provided by the airport authority showed that the Pilatus taxied left onto the taxiway from the ramp without stopping and that there was another airplane farther down the taxiway.
Factual narrative
The pilot of the Pilatus reported that after he received his IFR clearance from the local air traffic controller, he taxied from the ramp to the taxiway. While turning onto the taxiway, he was further instructed by the controller to give way to an airplane on the same taxiway. He acknowledged the instruction, "stopped" the airplane, looked left and saw a Cessna, which already passed him, so he looked right, did not see any other airplanes on the taxiway and continued to taxi. Shortly after, he realized that the propellers struck something, so he immediately shut down the airplane, deplaned, and realized that he struck another Cessna he did not see. The flight instructor in the Cessna reported that, while the student pilot was taxiing back to the ramp, they were instructed by the local air traffic controller to follow company traffic while passing another airplane, to their left, "holding" short of the same taxiway. He then looked left outside of his window and saw a spinning propeller moving closer towards the airplane. He immediately grabbed the controls and hammered the right pedal, but the propeller of the other airplane struck their airplane's left wing. The Pilatus sustained damage to the propellers. The Cessna sustained substantial damage to the left wing. The pilot and the flight instructor reported that there were no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions with their airplanes that would have precluded normal operation. A video provided by the airport authority showed that the Pilatus taxied left on to the taxiway from the ramp without stopping. It also showed that there was another airplane, further down the taxiway.
The pilot of the Pilatus reported that after he received his IFR clearance from the local air traffic controller, he taxied from the ramp to the taxiway. While turning onto the taxiway, he was further instructed by the controller to give way to an airplane on the same taxiway. He acknowledged the instruction, "stopped" the airplane, looked left and saw a Cessna, which already passed him, so he looked right, did not see any other airplanes on the taxiway and continued to taxi. Shortly after, he realized that the propellers struck something, so he immediately shut down the airplane, deplaned, and realized that he struck another Cessna he did not see. The flight instructor in the Cessna reported that, while the student pilot was taxiing back to the ramp, they were instructed by the local air traffic controller to follow company traffic while passing another airplane, to their left, "holding" short of the same taxiway. He then looked left outside of his window and saw a spinning propeller moving closer towards the airplane. He immediately grabbed the controls and hammered the right pedal, but the propeller of the other airplane struck their airplane's left wing. The Pilatus sustained damage to the propellers. The Cessna sustained substantial damage to the left wing. The pilot and the flight instructor reported that there were no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions with their airplanes that would have precluded normal operation. A video provided by the airport authority showed that the Pilatus taxied left on to the taxiway from the ramp without stopping. It also showed that there was another airplane, further down the taxiway.
Aircraft · 2
- Registration
- N552TC
- Reported as
- Pilatus PC12 (45)
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 443
- Built
- 2002
- Engine
- Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6A-67B, 1,200 horsepower, turbo prop
- Damage
- Minor damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Daylight Nightlight Ez Flight Llc
- Registered owner
- Daylight Nightlight Ez Flight Llc
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · June 18, 2018 · 3,272 hours before
- Departed
- IWA · Mesa, AZ
- Destination
- MRY · Monterey, CA
- Flight plan
- Unknown
- Airport
- IWA · Phoenix-Mesa Gateway, runway 12R, 10,401 × 150 ft, concrete
- Equipment
- Angle of attack indicator, Auto-pilot, ADS-B, Stall warning system, Data recorder, Onboard weather, Electronic primary flight display, Electronic flight bag or handheld device, Electronic multifunction display
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
- N976SP
- Reported as
- Cessna 172 (S)
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 172S8198
- Built
- 1999
- Airframe hours
- 10,630.1
- Engine
- Lycoming IO360-L2A, 180 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Operator
- Atp Aircraft 4 Llc
- Registered owner
- Atp Aircraft 4 Llc
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · November 19, 2018
- Departed
- IWA · Mesa, AZ
- Destination
- IWA · Mesa, AZ
- Airport
- IWA · Phoenix-Mesa Gateway, runway 12R, 10,401 × 150 ft, concrete
- Equipment
- Stall warning system
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 · 3
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot, aircraft N552TC
- Age
- 37
- Injuries
- None
- Certificates
- Commercial, Flight instructor, Airline transport
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Medical
- Class 2, Without waivers/limitations
- Flight hours
- 4,439 total · 2,187 in this make and model · 4,109 as pilot in command
- Role
- Flight instructor, aircraft N976SP
- Age
- 28
- Injuries
- None
- Certificates
- Flight instructor, Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, Without waivers/limitations
- Seat
- Right
- Restraint
- 3-point
- Flight hours
- 474.3 total · 234.3 in this make and model · 260.2 as pilot in command · 96 in the last 90 days · 74.3 in the last 30 days · 1.7 in the last 24 hours
- Role
- Student pilot, aircraft N976SP
- Age
- 26
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Student
- Medical
- Class 1, Without waivers/limitations
- Seat
- Left
- Restraint
- 3-point
- Flight hours
- 1.7 total · 1.7 in this make and model · 1.7 in the last 90 days · 1.7 in the last 30 days · 1.7 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 130° at 5 knots
- Visibility
- 45 statute miles
- Temperature
- 52 °F, dew point 30 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.98 inHg
- Observed at
- KIWA, 1 nm away
Docket · 5
The files NTSB released with the investigation on December 19, 2019, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 2.4 MB in all.