On Friday 16 February 1996, at approximately 0900 hours, as Piper PA28 aircraft ZK-CEQ was waiting on the tarmac at Ardmore Aerodrome for its turn at the refuelling pump, the spotter left his seat, stepped over the right wing leading edge into the rotating propeller and lost his life.
The cause of the accident was the spotter's decision to leave the aircraft while the engine was running and make his way to a helicopter at the refuelling point by the shortest route. The contributory factors were the ambient noise level generated by the rotors of the helicopter and the blending of the aircraft's propeller against the background.
No new safety issues were identified as a result of the investigation of this accident.
