The pilot of the Cessna 206 reported that he turned off the taxiway at the airport in Palm Springs, California, to perform a functional check of his autopilot and electric trim systems.
A few seconds later, the pilot of a King Air was taxiing and observed the Cessna’s tail partially obstructing the taxiway. The King Air pilot turned sharply to the left to avoid an impact.
As the Cessna pilot was checking his systems, he suddenly felt his airplane lurch forward. The Cessna pilot immediately observed the King Air pass to his rear left and used the airport’s common traffic advisory frequency to inform the King Air pilot that he had hit his airplane.
The King Air pilot denied the ground collision and took off.
As a result of the collision, the Cessna’s rudder and vertical stabilizer were substantially damaged. The right-wing winglet of the King Air displayed minor red paint transfer.
Probable Cause: The King Air pilot’s failure to maintain clearance from another airplane while taxiing, which resulted in a ground collision.
To download the final report. Click here. This will trigger a PDF download to your device.
This May 2021 accident report is provided by the National Transportation Safety Board. Published as an educational tool, it is intended to help pilots learn from the misfortunes of others.
I would expect the captain of the King Air to be fired by his company and his license possibly suspended for taking off with the possibility of damage to the aircraft from the ground collision regardless of who was at fault. He/she is the final authority to the safe operation of the flight and clearly ignored FAR #1 after the collision.
If anyone thinks for a minute that the Cessna pilot is at fault think again. Back in my day Cessna pilot centers were backing everyone needs to get certified.
A many should not even be in cars let alone aircraft. Attitude is an adjustment that needs to be addressed at all levels.
King air should have stopped,any collision requires an inspection of potential damage
Ŵhy did the Cessna stop in a hazardous location to do functional checks? Laying Air are often flown single pilot. But ant collision deserves a walk around. I’d fault the Cessna pilot and the King Air.
The pilot of the King Air should not be allowed to fly anymore
Taxing is a full time operation. No time for setting radios, flaps, ect. Taxi the airplane
Twin engine pilot pride!
King pilot should have stopped to
Inspect for damage! Very dangerous!
I’m a retired Duke owner!
Pride is a fools danger!
No excuse!
Story sounds a little convoluted. Setting and checking autopilot but King Air in a FEW seconds later had to make a sharp turn to miss the tail of the Cessna?
Aren’t King Airs normally operated by a 2 person crew? So you own a King Air and you are taxiing and configuring. So you look up and see the Cessna is still going, so you look down for whatever, and when you look up, “a few seconds” later, the Cessna has come to a stop.
This was a hit and run. And I wonder what actions the FAA is going to take with the King Air’s pilot, and what actions the insurance company of the King Air is going to take.
I hope the King Air pilot has his license
Taken away, it he/she should also face a hefty fine. This pilot deserves civil penalties as well.
King Air TOTALLY AT FAULT! If it went down like the report desription, that King Air pilot should loose his license at minimum and have to go thru some sort of retraining from the basic level ASEL standards. While the 206 pilot may have been obstructing the runway, its no excuse to just run over him. King Air had a radio, a head set (for sure, he’s a pro pilot) and a PTT button, use it!!! Be safe, not sorry.