Skyhawk 172/Cutlass 172
Flight Crew Flight Instructor
Distraction; Situational Awareness
Ground Event / Encounter Aircraft
Aircraft Aircraft Damaged; General Maintenance Action
Human Factors
Student pilot on solo cross country flight monitored by instructor: After completing the landing at home base and receiving taxi instructions to the ramp student pilot joined the taxi line and proceeded to ramp. He kept following and keeping on top of the taxi line at all times with slight movements towards the outside (side with no parked airplanes) when needed in order to clear planes (not cutting corners); when joining taxi line from the appropriate corridor he cleared the 1st aircraft parked there then student apparently glanced at the radio frequencies that were tuned in and he felt a roaring sound (like the engine was low in rpms) then he realized that a piece of some airplane was on the ground not knowing which airplane was until maintenance personnel which were on the same corridor wove their hands to him indicating that something had happened to his airplane making him to take it to full stop on the corridor; turn the engines off and step out of it. Student received and correctly logged preflight and post flight preparation and procedures from his instructor according to what is stipulated in the school's documents. Unfortunately a brief instant of lack of situational awareness can cause serious consequences. Suggesting to revise airplane parking lot layout and spacing since this is not the first time that an event like this happens in that same area. Tire blocks/stops in each spot would add greater level of safety making the airplanes to be parked where they have to. Two different taxiways 'taxi in' and 'taxi out' would help avoiding diversions from the 'only' taxi line available for taxiing in and out the ramp.
C172 taxied from the ramp; on the taxiway in front of Aircraft Y; which had both engines operating. C172 progressively deviated right of the taxi line; until its right wingtip came into contact with the spinning propeller of the Aircraft Y's left engine. The right wingtip of C172 was separated by the Aircraft Y's left propeller and flew back behind the Aircraft Y approximately 30 feet. C172 immediately returned to the taxiway center line. At this time; the aviator of C172 continued to taxi to the point adjacent his intended parking spot; and executed a normal shutdown minutes later. The Aircraft Y shut the affected engine down immediately after the collision; and remained in its parking spot with the main wheels remaining on the yellow line. The student pilot was on a solo. It was not his first solo. The instructor had trained the student to always adhere to the taxi line; and therefore the occurrence was a result of a deviation from training by the student pilot. Student pilot [was] trying to save time by completing shutdown checklist items; while taxiing.
The wingtip of a C172 came in contact with the propeller of an operating Small Aircraft twin engine when the pilot of the Cessna strayed off the taxiway centerline.