What happened
During nighttime operations, an aircraft was taxiing toward its parking position following a landing. While the crew was approximately 50 feet from their intended stopping point, they observed a golf cart traveling parallel to a nearby fence. The pilots initially did not identify the vehicle as a hazard.
According to witnesses, the driver of the golf cart—which was being utilized as a lead-in vehicle—exited the cart while it was in motion. Although the driver attempted to stop the vehicle, she was unsuccessful. The unmanned golf cart continued moving, circling an aircraft two or three times before veering toward the taxiing plane.
Upon noticing the sudden change in direction and realizing the cart was unoccupied, the pilots immediately initiated emergency shutdown procedures. Despite these efforts, the golf cart struck the propeller of the left engine before the engines could be shut down. There were no injuries reported in the incident.