This is an excerpt from a report made to the Aviation Safety Reporting System. The narrative is written by the pilot, rather than FAA or NTSB officials. To maintain anonymity, many details, such as aircraft model or airport, are often scrubbed from the reports.
Narrative 1: We were departing ZZZ on a flight plan to ZZZ1.
I have flown many times with my friend, who was Pilot In Command (PIC) when the event occurred. He is an IFR-rated pilot studying for the commercial certificate, and I have my commercial certificate.
We were holding short of Runway XXL at Taxiway XX. The Tower cleared Aircraft Y, an airliner, to takeoff, and in the same time cleared us to “line up and wait Runway XXL.”
While the departing Aircraft Y begin their ground roll and fire up the engines, we were trying to do as instructed, when the jet blast made the plane steer to the right 90°, while the right wing touched the ground and the propeller hit one of the runway approach lights.
The PIC called tower and let them know about the situation, the emergency vehicles came, operations as well. We turned off the engine, exit the aircraft as instructed, and the airplane was towed to the FBO.
We were pretty worried about what had happened to the airplane. Nobody was hurt, the mechanics will decide the damage on the airplane.
This was a learning experience for us.
Narrative 2: Cessna 172 was holding short of Runway XXR at Taxiway XX at ZZZ. Aircraft Y was holding short of Runway XXR at Taxiway XY, the adjacent taxiway.
Aircraft X was cleared to takeoff from Runway XXR and back-taxi on XXR for a full-length takeoff.
After completing the back-taxi in front of Taxiway XX, Aircraft Y began its ground roll. At this point, the Cessna 172 was instructed to line up and wait on Runway XXR.
The pilot believed he had sufficient space between the departing Aircraft Y to enter the runway, and began to taxi forward. Upon entering the runway, the jet blast from the Airbus struck the left wing of the Cessna and lifted it, causing the Cessna to turn sharply to the right and pitch down.
The pilot attempted to apply corrective control surface deflection into the jet blast, but was not able to regain control.
The right wing and propeller of the Cessna struck the lighting system before coming to a rest on the EMAS.
Primary Problem: Procedure
ACN: 2020189
ATC is there to provide separation in the air and safety advisories on the ground. If you are pic of a GA aircraft you should know of the thrust that larger aircraft put out. ATC makes mistakes also. That being said, if you think that you are cleared to take position and hold IT IS UP TO YOU TO DECIDE IFR YOU THINK ITS SAFE OR NOT TO DO SO! ALL YOU HAV E TO DO IS SAY-UNABLE AT THIS TIME. You as PIC have the final say!
Simple. Pilot In Command wasn’t in command.
Three words, PILOT IN COMMAND. Blaming tower or operations is just wrong and pure nonsense, own it, when your PIC. Operating at a airport and not understanding big engine thrust and wingtip vortex generation/effects, well really that person should just stay out of the role as PIC.
GA aircraft should not be cleared to line up and wait behind jets. I would come back with unable, due to wake/vortice turbulence.
Three words, PILOT IN COMMAND. Blaming tower or operations is just wrong and pure nonsense, own it, when your POC.. Operating at a airport and not understanding big engine thrust and wingtip vortex generation/effects, well really that person should just stay out of the role as PIC.
I will never get into a 172 again. To under powered for Rocky Mountain flying. 1725 lbs.is to light and under powered for mountain flying.
As an airline pilot, it’s fairly common for the tower to give an airplane a takeoff clearance, and, before that aircraft even starts its ground roll for ATC to then clear the next airplane to “line up and wait.” I find it kind of funny as the controller is “pushing tin.”
But as a pilot in command there’s no way I’m taxiing behind an airliner bringing their engines up to takeoff power. Either slow roll your way to the line up point giving the prior aircraft time to clear, or refuse the clearance from the tower. It isn’t the controller’s chair that’s going into harms way behind jet engines coming up to takeoff power!
My plane (my ship) my problem.
controller: “Move your ship into harm’s way.” My response :” Unable.”
check…
mate….
cheers!
To add, separation requirements for VFR light behind a medium is ‘”Cautionary” only., unless light is departing furtherdown the runway from the heavier aircraft, then a time standard is applied. “Line up” instructions are at the pilots discretion, the pilot has to apply their own jet blast distance. Again, 30yr ATC.
Only you ,as pilot in control, are solely responsable for your aircraft. As a 30 yr ATC, we expect a pilot to complete an instruction when it is only safe to do so. If you can not comply in a reasonable period of time then tell us. Unless we say “immediate” there is no rush.
Again, the pilot is always responsible for the safety of their aircraft and passengers.
When I see I’m going to follow a big jet taxiing to take off in our Cardinal, I ask the tower for an intersection takeoff so I can take off before the big jet.
Were they not familiar with maintaining a generous distance behind large aircraft during ground operations? Why didn’t the tower apply the two-minute wake turbulence interval before allowing them to taxi onto the runway?
Must maintain distance of 1000ft from all jet aircraft. It’s in the book.
What book?
That is not wake turbulence but engine exhaust blast. Wake turbulence begins when the airbus rotates.
This in my opinion was an operational error by Tower/ground controllers. A few months ago GA NEWs had a similar report to this one and it caused damage to a GA plane that was hundreds of feet away from the airliner that powered up. The jet wash caught them from behind and I think it nearly flipped them over.
I have seen at Burke Lake Front a C152 bouncing up and down with a small jet that had been told they had to park just ahead of that tied down aircraft because Customs allegedly required them to park there. And the jet was at idle power.
Given that experience, if I were to get put in that situation, I would immediately contact ground and ask to be cleared to someplace else for jet blast avoidance.
Not only the blast but line up to depart trying to out climb his wake turbulence in a 172?
It sounds they in the wrong place at the wrong time , those big birds need a lot of save when the take off, I wes a crew chief on a military aircraft, and gave a lot distance from the back and the side , engine wash was terrible.