N6778A

On August 3, 2021, about 1130 central daylight time, a Cessna 172, N6778A, was substantially damaged when it was involved in an accident at Ford Airport (IMT), Iron Mountain, Michigan. The pilot and passenger suffered minor injuries. The airplane was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal flight.

The pilot reported he landed at IMT, a nontowered airport, and taxied toward parking. As the pilot passed about 200 ft behind a parked Bombardier CRJ-200, he noted that cones were placed around the CRJ-200 and the airplane’s beacon was rotating, but no marshal or spotter was on the ramp.

Two mechanics were conducting a maintenance test on the CRJ-200 and were not aware of the taxiing Cessna 172. The mechanics did not announce an intention on the airport’s common traffic advisory frequency to increase engine power. After engine power was increased, jet blast lifted the Cessna 172’s tail, which resulted in the Cessna 172 nosing down and sustaining substantial damage to the left wing when it contacted the ground.

The mechanics did not comply with the operator’s procedures for high-thrust maintenance operations at a non-towered airport. The procedures included notification of airport management personnel of high-thrust operations, selecting the most appropriate location on the airport, and actively communicating intentions on the airport’s common traffic advisory frequency. Following the accident, the operator reinforced training and communications to mechanics on the risks of high-thrust maintenance operations at nontowered airports.