Cessna 172 accident near Nashville, Tennessee, November 5, 2007
On November 5, 2007 at about 7:41 pm local time, a Cessna 172, registered N5555R, was substantially damaged in an accident near Nashville, Tennessee (Nashville International airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
A propwash encounter during taxi from a four-engine airplane that overturned the pilot's single-engine airplane when he elected to taxi across the larger airplane's propwash.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- November 5, 2007 · about 7:41 pm local time
- Place
- Nashville, Tennessee · Nashville International · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172 · all 172s on the register
- Registration
- N5555R · no longer on the register · serial 17253143
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The private certificated pilot was cleared to taxi for takeoff and was proceeding toward the departure runway in a light, single-engine airplane. The pilot saw a four-engine military C-130 turboprop airplane that appeared to be doing an engine run-up, about 300 feet to the left of his taxiway. In the Pilot/Operator Aircraft Accident Report (NTSB Form 6120.1) submitted by the pilot, the pilot reported, "I stopped short, and contacted Nashville ground 121.9, stating that I request further taxi instructions since a C-130 is running engines with exhaust blast toward me." The controller stated "...proceed your discretion." The pilot continued to taxi behind the C-130, and his airplane was struck by the propwash. The pilot's airplane was blown sideways and overturned. Paragraph 11, Jet Engine Exhaust, of the FAA's Advisory Circular AC 90-23F Aircraft Wake Turbulence, notes that light aircraft need to maintain adequate separation from jet engine blast during ground operations.
The complete narrative as the NTSB published it. The NTSB's docket holds the report as a PDF and any photographs, statements and other documents from the investigation.
The factual record from the NTSB's investigation tables, in plain English
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 760 hours in all; 760 in this make and model; 78 in the last 90 days; 30 in the last 30 days
- Medical certificate: Class 3
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-300 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: KBNA Nashville TN
- Flight plan: VFR
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
The docket, the folder of records gathered during an investigation (maintenance records, photographs, witness statements, examinations), has not been read from the NTSB for this case yet; the list appears here once it has. Open the docket at the NTSB.
Everything on this page comes from the NTSB's public records. The narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words; the coded tables behind the report are written out in plain English, with pilots' ages, home towns and medical details left out. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, shown as the NTSB released them. This site's own text never names anyone involved. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.