Cessna 172 accident near Honolulu, Hawaii, July 30, 2008
On July 30, 2008 at about 7:50 pm local time, a Cessna 172, registered N5329L, was substantially damaged in an accident during taxi (to runway) near Honolulu, Hawaii (Honolulu International airport). It was an instructional flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The flight's encounter with the jet wash from a parked commercial airplane while taxiing for takeoff.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 30, 2008 · about 7:50 pm local time
- Place
- Honolulu, Hawaii · Honolulu International · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172 S · all 172s on the register
- Registration
- N5329L · no longer on the register · serial 172S9332
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The certified flight instructor (CFI) and her student were taxiing southwest on taxiway Charlie when ground control told them to switch to the tower frequency and monitor. As they approached the intersection of Charlie and Delta taxiways, the airplane started to tip over, and through the left window they could feel the warm air of jet wash coming from a parked MD-11 airplane. The jet wash lifted the airplane up and dropped it down, the propeller struck the taxiway, and then the airplane spun around to the right pivoting on the right wing tip. The CFI shut the engine down and both her and the student egressed the airplane. The MD-11's cargo was live animals and the number 2 (tail) engine was being operated to provide power to cool the airplane. There was no requirement at the time for parked airplanes to notify ground control when starting an engine.
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
What happened, in order
- Prop/jet/rotor blast/suction during taxi (to runway) defining event
The NTSB's findings
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › (general) › Attain/maintain not possible
- Environmental issues › Conditions/weather/phenomena › (general) › (general) › Awareness of condition
Flight instructor
- Certificate: commercial pilot
- Ratings: single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 2,200 hours in all; 2,100 in this make and model; 250 in the last 90 days; 60 in the last 30 days; 2,090 as pilot in command; 1,770 on instruments
- Last flight review: June 26, 2008
- Medical certificate: Class 1
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,316 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, July 8, 2008
- Maximum gross weight: 2,550 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming IO-360-L2A (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Flight School Hawaii, Inc.
The flight
- Departed from: PHNL Honolulu HI at 7:45 pm
- Destination: PHNL Honolulu HI
- Flight plan: VFR
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 070° at 12 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: a few clouds
- Temperature: 79°F (26°C), dew point 66°F (19°C)
- Altimeter: 30.11 inHg
- Observation at 7:00 pm from PHNL, 3 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 2 |
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.
Other NTSB records under N5329L the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
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.