Undetermined · NTSB WPR09LA040
CESSNA 152 — Atwater, CA
| Date | November 16, 2008 |
| Location | Atwater, CA |
| Aircraft | CESSNA 152 |
| Purpose of flight | Instructional |
| Conditions | Dusk · Visual Meteorological Cond |
| Phase / occurrence | Standing-engine(s) operating AC/prop/rotor contact w person |
| Pilot age | 26 |
| Pilot total time | 63 hrs · Student / very low time |
| Time in type | 63 hrs |
| Fatalities | 1 |
Probable cause
The second pilot's failure to see and avoid the rotating propeller after exiting the airplane.
NTSB findings
- Personnel issues-Psychological-Attention/monitoring-Attention-Student pilot - C
What happened
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.