Primary finding
Probable cause
inadequate visual lookout by the student pilot, which resulted in a collision with a parked trailer, while his attention was diverted. The proximity of the trailer was a related factor.
Investigator assessment
Analysis narrative
The student pilot was taxiing to the ramp after completing a solo, cross-country flight, when the airplane collided with a parked utility trailer. According to an official from a fixed base operator, the utility trailer was parked on the taxiway, and the student was attempting to recover a flight chart from the right front seat, when the collision occurred. No mechanical problem of the airplane was reported by the student.
Source record
Factual narrative
On March 5, 1997, at 1645 eastern standard time, a Cessna 152, N757HA, collided with a parked utility trailer while taxing from landing at the Fernandina Beach Municipal Airport in Fernandina, Beach, Florida. The instructional flight operated under the provisions of Title 14 CFR Part 91 with a flight plan filed. Visual weather conditions prevailed at the time of the accident. The airplane sustained substantial damage. The student pilot was not injured. The solo, cross-country flight departed Ormond Beach, Florida, at 1600. The student pilot was taxing to the ramp after completing a solo country flight. According to an official from Sunrise Aviation, the utility trailer was parked on the taxiway, and the student pilot was attempting to recover a flight chart from the right front seat when the collision occurred. No mechanical problems with the airplane were reported by the student pilot. -