Both Airplanes Had Just Landed At Livermore Municipal Airport In California

The NTSB has released a preliminary report from an accident which occurred on October 20 in Livermore, CA about 1400 PDT in which a Pitts/Aviat S2C, N15TA, substantially damaged a Cessna 172S, N698SP, when it taxied into the Cessna at Livermore Municipal airport (KLVK) after receiving taxi clearance from the air traffic control tower.

The Pitts was owned and operated by Attitude Aviation of LVK, while the Cessna was operated by West Valley Flying Club (WVFC) of Palo Alto, California. None of the two persons on board either airplane was injured.

According to the certified  flight instructor (CFI) in the right front seat of the Cessna, he was providing a flight checkout for the private pilot in the left seat. Their flight originated from Palo Alto Airport of Santa Clara County (KPAO) and they had landed uneventfully on LVK runway 25L. They exited 25L to the south at taxiway G, and called KLVK ground control (GC) for a clearance to taxi back for a takeoff on 25L. The airport was reportedly busy, and after a minute or two, having not received a response from GC, they initiated another radio call. During that transmission they heard "a lot of noise" coming from the rear of their airplane, and realized that their airplane had been struck in the empennage by the propeller of another airplane.

According to the CFI in the front seat of the Pitts, he was providing aerobatics instruction to the pilot in the rear seat. They landed uneventfully on 25R, and exited 25R to the south at taxiway G. The airplane stopped between runways 25R and 25L, and radioed LVK GC for clearance to cross 25L and taxi back to the Attitude Aviation facility. The two pilots in the Pitts watched an unspecified Vans airplane land on 25L, and saw that airplane stop and exit 25L to the south at a taxiway before (east of) their position. LVK GC then cleared the Pitts across 25L, but the controller did not advise them of the Cessna holding just south of 25L on taxiway G. The Pitts taxied across 25L. Due to the tailwheel configuration and limited forward visibility of the Pitts, neither pilot in the Pitts was aware of the presence of the Cessna until the Pitts' propeller struck the empennage of the Cessna.

After their airplane was struck by the Pitts, the Cessna pilots requested and received GC clearance to taxi to the ramp, which they did. The Pitts shut down in place, and the pilots exited the airplane. After some preliminary scene documentation, the Pitts was relocated clear of the traffic movement area.

FAA information indicated that parallel runways 25R and 25L were 5,253 and 2,599 feet long respectively. Examination of the airport layout revealed that the two runway centerlines were separated by about 500 feet, that the Pitts and Cessna were initially separated by about 400 feet, and that the collision location was about 2,600 feet from the air traffic control tower.

FMI: www.ntsb.gov