Primary finding
Probable cause
The pilot’s failure to maintain clearance from another airplane while taxing in the run-up area.
Investigator assessment
Analysis narrative
The pilot taxing N21462 stated he did not turn sharply enough when he applied power to position the airplane in the run-up area, and the airplane’s right wing struck the vertical stabilizer of N221MF which was stopped in the run-up area. The pilot of N21462 stated that his foot slipped and was not on the brake during the turn. N221MF sustained substantial damage to the vertical stabilizer, and N21462 sustained minor damage to the right-wing tip and outboard leading edge. The pilot of N21462 said that there were no mechanical anomalies with the airplane that precluded normal operations.