- Date
- April 12, 2003, 09:20 local (13:20 UTC)
- Place
- Melbourne, FL
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Taxi
- Aircraft
- N52903Cessna 172S
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report March 30, 2004
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Parties
- FIT Aviation, LLC, FAA FSDO
- FAA report
- 20030412015169A
- Case key
- 56825
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 student pilot's improper throttle setting during the braking test, resulting in a collision with a parked airplane.
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 stated that after receiving his taxi clearance, he released the parking brake and the airplane began to roll forward. He applied the airplane's brakes to perform a brake check but the brakes were ineffective. The airplane rolled forward and collided with a parked airplane. According to several witnesses, they heard the airplane operating at a high power setting, before impacting a parked airplane at a high rate of speed. The airplane sustained structural damage aft of the firewall, damage to the firewall, and the engine mount. Examination of the brake system by the operator with FAA oversight revealed no evidence of preimpact failure or malfunction.
Factual narrative
On April 12, 2003, about 0920 eastern daylight time, a Cessna 172S, N52903, registered to JMAX, LLC, and operated by FIT, LLC, collided with a parked airplane while taxiing at the Melbourne Regional Airport, Melbourne, Florida. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time and a visual flight rules (VFR) flight plan was filed for the 14 CFR Part 91 instructional flight. The airplane was substantially damaged and the student reported no injuries. The flight was originating at the time of the accident.
The student pilot stated that after receiving his taxi clearance, he released the parking brake and the airplane began to roll forward. He applied the airplane's brakes to perform a brake check but the brakes were ineffective. The airplane rolled forward and collided with a parked airplane.
According to several witnesses, they heard the engine of the accident airplane operating at a high power setting before impacting the parked airplane, and also saw the airplane impact the parked airplane with a high rate of speed.
Examination of the brake system by the operator with FAA oversight revealed no evidence of preimpact failure or malfunction.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N52903
- Reported as
- Cessna 172S
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 172S9231
- Airframe hours
- 96
- Engine
- Lycoming IO-360-L2A, 180 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Operator
- FIT Aviation, LLC
- Registered owner
- Massimo Bosso
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · March 14, 2003 · 96 hours before
- Departed
- KMLB · Melbourne, FL
- Destination
- KOBE · Okeechobee, FL
- Flight plan
- VFR
- Airport
- KMLB · Melbourne International Arpt
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
- Student pilot
- Age
- 60
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Student
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 29 total · 29 in this make and model · 13 in the last 90 days · 6 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 280° at 7 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 61 °F, dew point 55 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- KMLB
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.