NTSB Factual Report

On August 23, 2009, at 0906 mountain daylight time, a Cessna CE-560, N802QS, registered to and operated by NetJets, caused serious injury to a ground maintenance lineman during ground operations. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed. The airplane was not damaged and none of the two pilots or six passengers on board the airplane were injured. The flight was operated under the provision of Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations part 135 on an instrument flight plan. The airplane was taxiing to depart McElroy Airfield (2OV), Kremmling, Colorado, en route to Van Nuys Airport (VNY), Van Nuys, California, at the time of the accident.

According to the injured lineman, he was knocked over by jet blast as the airplane turned to exit the fueling depot on the ramp apron and suffered a broken femur. The lineman stated that when the jet arrived at the fuel depot, jet blast from the airplane blew grass onto the ramp. After refueling, the lineman told the pilot, “hey, when you leave blow that stuff off so I don’t have to get the leaf blower” and clear it. The lineman stated that upon leaving the fuel depot, the pilot briefly held the airplanes brakes and “revved it up about half throttle.” The airplane turned to exit the ramp area and jet blast from the engines knocked over the lineman. At that time, he was approximately 200 feet behind the airplane and standing near the fuel depot.

In a written statement the pilot advised that after refueling, the lineman gave him a “thumbs up” indicating that the right wing was clear of obstructions and he began to taxi from the ramp. In doing so he “throttled the right engine up for a tight left turn while using the left brake so as to keep the turn radius to a minimum.” He then taxied out for departure. The pilot advised that he was unaware that the lineman had been blown over until reaching his destination. During a follow-up phone conversation, the pilot advised that he remembered the conversation about the grass on the ramp occurring the night before the scheduled departure. He advised the lineman that "it [the grass]will blow off when I leave," but there was no further discussion pertaining to the grass the day of departure.

There were no reported mechanical anomalies with the airplane. The lineman reported that he wore personal protective equipment during the refueling process and that he had received safety training during the course of his employment. That training primarily addressed the proper refueling of airplanes, and he was unsure if the safety training included instruction on the dangers of jet/propeller blast. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), under authority of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) Public Law 91-596, exercises regulatory and jurisdictional authority over matters concerning the occupational safety and health standards for U.S. registered civil aircraft in operation. A review of Title 40 CFR and Title 29 CFR failed to disclose any regulation requiring the administration of safety briefings/warnings regarding the dangers of jet/propeller blast to ground workers.

NTSB Probable Cause

The lineman’s inadvertent encounter with jet blast.