Flight Crew Flight Instructor; Flight Crew Instrument; Flight Crew Commercial
Situational Awareness
Conflict Ground Conflict; Critical; Ground Event / Encounter Vehicle
Flight Crew Took Evasive Action
Human Factors
Student's solo flight to [the] practice area was incident free until he entered spot 2 taxiing back into parking. Myself and another instructor were standing beside [the parking spot] talking while their aircraft was being fueled. The student taxied into spot two and continued his taxi between the two lines of 172's. The fuel truck was completing his fueling and was parked in front of the aircraft's nose pointed south. At about 100 feet away from the fuel truck; the student slowed the aircraft but did not stop. The student kept taxiing the aircraft and was within 20 feet of the fuel truck. At that point the other instructor and myself saw that he was not stopping. We both ran out around the backside of the fuel truck about 30-40 feet in front of the aircraft and gave him the signal to stop. The fuel truck was also beeping his horn trying to get the student to stop as well. The student stopped and his right wingtip was within 5-10 of the fuel truck. The fuel truck then backed up; did a three point turn and went the other way. The student seemed confused as to why we stopped him from taxiing forward to park. Instructor with guidance from Safety has built a ground lesson and will thoroughly brief the student on taxi procedures while in the parking areas while operating the airplane solo. Including the sections in the operations manual about taxiing and taxiing around fuel trucks. Instructor will also review ground operations hand signals associated with taxiing. Using airport diagram and Google Earth; instructor will give student scenarios while operating an aircraft safely in the parking areas.
Flight Instructor reported observing a solo student pilot taxi in close proximity to a fuel truck.