Textron Aviation Inc 172S N49RH accident near Wichita, Kansas

Probable cause

The pilot’s failure to maintain a safe taxi distance from a turbine-powered airplane, resulting in an encounter of the turbine-powered airplane’s jet blast while taxiing.

NTSB analysis

The student pilot reported that, during taxi on taxiway A1 in a Cessna 172, a nearby turbine-powered Embraer Phenom airplane parked in the run-up area for taxiway blocked his path to the runway. After completing his pre-takeoff checklist, the student pilot radioed the Phenom crew and asked “if [he] could proceed and sneak behind them to the runway”. The Phenom crew replied, “that should be fine” and the pilot then proceeded to taxi behind the Phenom. As the Cessna taxied behind the Phenom, the jet blast lifted the airplane onto its propeller and left wing which resulted in substantial damage to the left wing.

The Phenom maintenance crew reported they were conducting a high-power engine run and did not know that an airplane was trying to taxi behind them on taxiway A1. During the student pilot’s initial radio call, a turbine powered Beechjet airplane was taxiing the opposite direction on the taxiway and because the student pilot of the accident airplane did not identify himself with the airplane’s callsign, the maintenance crew assumed the radio call came from the Beechjet.

Text from the NTSB. Open the NTSB docket for CEN23LA198 for the full record.