Probable cause
The second pilot's failure to see and avoid the rotating propeller after exiting the airplane.
NTSB analysis
At the completion of the final leg of a cross-country flight, the two student pilots taxied the airplane toward the ramp. Prior to reaching the parking area, the student pilot seated in the right seat, concerned about being seen by flight school personnel, instructed the other student pilot to taxi the airplane to the designated parking area, where he would exit the airplane. The student pilot seated in the left seat reported that after the student pilot seated in the right seat exited the airplane, he ran toward the front of the airplane and was struck by the turning propeller.
Text from the NTSB. Open the NTSB docket for WPR09LA040 for the full record.
Event
- Date
- Nov 16, 2008
- Type
- Accident
- Place
- Atwater, California
- Nearest airport
- Atwater/Castle (KMER)
- Highest injury
- Fatal
- Fatal injuries
- 1
- Weather
- Visual (VMC)
- Light
- Dusk
Cessna 152
- N-number
- N45994
- Category
- Airplane
- Operating rule
- Part 91 (general aviation)
- Purpose of flight
- Instructional
From the NTSB aviation accident database: N-registered aircraft, events since 2008, data through Oct 28, 2026. The file is published monthly, so the latest weeks are incomplete and recent records can change. The official source is the NTSB aviation investigation search. CheckAero is independent and not affiliated with the NTSB.