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Atlas / NTSB / WPR23LA298

NTSB CAROL · Event

Event WPR23LA298

2023-08-01 Long Beach, California, United States Airport · LGB None 1 aircraft Status: Completed

Aircraft involved

Probable cause & findings

The flight instructor’s inattention during ground operations, which resulted in unintentional movement of the airplane and ground collision with another airplane.

Factual narrative

The student pilot in a Cessna 152 reported that, after completing the engine start procedure checklist, he set the parking brake and both he and the instructor placed their feet on the brake pedals. As both pilots looked down to plug in their headsets the airplane rolled forward and struck the right wing of a Cessna 172 that was taxiing in front of them. As a result of the collision, the Cessna 172’s right wing was substantially damaged. The flight crews of both airplanes reported that there were no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions with their airplanes that would have precluded normal operation. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database Retrieved: 2026-02-12

NTSB Findings

Hierarchical cause / factor breakdown from the FAA bulk avdata database. Each finding tagged C (Cause) or F (Factor).

  • Personnel issues-Task performance-Use of equip/info-Aircraft control-Instructor/check pilot
  • Personnel issues-Psychological-Attention/monitoring-Monitoring equip/instruments-Instructor/check pilot
  • Environmental issues-Physical environment-Object/animal/substance-Aircraft-Response/compensation
  • Personnel issues-Psychological-Attention/monitoring-Monitoring other aircraft-Student/instructed pilot
  • Environmental issues-Physical environment-Object/animal/substance-Aircraft-Response/compensation
  • Personnel issues-Psychological-Attention/monitoring-Monitoring other aircraft-Pilot

Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file NTSB_2023_WPR23LA298.txt. Findings + structured fields enriched from FAA avall.mdb. Full investigation docket on data.ntsb.gov ↗.