- Date
- August 3, 2021, 07:15 local (14:15 UTC)
- Place
- Tucson, AZ
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Taxi
- Aircraft
- N53350Cessna 172F
- Defining event
- Taxi: Prop/jet/rotor blast/suction
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Investigation class
- Class 4 - Basic report with no Prelim publish
- NTSB office
- Western Pacific Region
- Parties
- FAA-FSDO
- FAA report
- 20210803013439A
- Case key
- 103705
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 failure to maintain a safe taxi distance from a large turbine-powered airplane, resulting in an encounter of the turbine-powered airplane's jet blast 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.
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 flight instructor reported that, during taxi on a taxiway, a nearby commercial turbine-powered airplane powered up to move onto the runway. As the commercial airplane turned, it kept a very high level of thrust. The jet blast subsequently lifted the instructor’s airplane onto its propeller and right wing. The right wing was substantially damaged. The flight instructor reported that there were no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N53350
- Reported as
- Cessna 172F
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 17252862
- Built
- 1965
- Engine
- Cont Motor 0-200 SERIES, 100 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Howell Kelly D
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal; Standard, Utility
- Airport
- TUS · Tucson Intl
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
- 63
- Injuries
- None
- Certificates
- Airline transport, Flight instructor
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2
- Seat
- Right
- Flight hours
- 20,000 total · 10,000 in this make and model
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 160° at 9 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 79 °F, dew point 66 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.07 inHg
- Turbulence
- Unknown
- Observed at
- KTUS, 1 nm away
- METAR
- KTUS 031353Z 16009KT 10SM CLR 26/19 A3007 RMK AO2 SLP130 T02610189
Docket · 2
The files NTSB released with the investigation on November 12, 2021, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 1.2 MB 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.