The pilot reported that while taxiing from a grass tie-down area at the airport in Appleton, Wisconsin, the Mooney M20J’s left wingtip struck the propeller of a parked airplane.
She did not notice the wingtip strike, so she continued to taxi and obtained her instrument flight rules (IFR) clearance.
After transitioning to the paved taxiway yellow centerline stripe, the airplane’s right wingtip struck the propeller of a second parked airplane. The pilot shut down the engine and exited the airplane to examine the damage. The airplane sustained minor damage to both wings.
The incident occurred during the annual EAA AirVenture Oshkosh. The airport issued a NOTAM that was active at the time of the incident that advised pilots “FBO RAMP, T HANGAR RAMP PRKG NOT STD.” The pilot stated that it was not clear to her what this meant.
The pilot recommended that additional personnel for wing walkers could have prevented the incident.
According to the Aeronautical Information Manual, being centered on the taxiway centerline does not guarantee wingtip clearance with other aircraft or other objects.
Probable Cause: The pilot’s failure to maintain adequate wingtip clearance while taxiing. Contributing to the accident was the ambiguous nonstandard parking at the time of the incident.
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This July 2024 accident report is provided by the National Transportation Safety Board. Published as an educational tool, it is intended to help pilots learn from the misfortunes of others.
I want to add that those are considered prop strikes most likely requiring engine teardowns and inspections.
Holy cow.
And what about the damage to the other planes? I hope those pilots caught this damage to their propellors during their next preflights.
Three aircraft damaged by this careless pilot. She should have her certificate suspended at least.