Accident Overview
On August 24, 2008, at 1830 central daylight time, a Piper PA-28-161 (registration N523PU) struck an open manhole while taxiing after landing at New Ulm Municipal Airport in New Ulm, Minnesota. The aircraft sustained substantial damage to its wings. The private pilot and one passenger on board were not injured. The flight, conducted under Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91, originated from Flying Cloud Airport in Eden Prairie, Minnesota, at 1740. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan was filed.
Pilot's Account
The pilot reported that after landing, he was taxiing to a tie-down spot on the ramp. While maneuvering to enter the tie-down space, the left main landing gear dropped into an open manhole located in the grass near the edge of the ramp. He stated that the tie-down spaces were positioned so close to the ramp edge that he had to taxi onto the grass to complete the turn. The pilot did not see the hole before contacting it, and the open hole was not marked in any way.
Airport Manager's Statement
The airport manager noted that the manhole cover was a concrete slab weighing approximately 150 pounds and measuring 4 feet by 4 feet by 3 inches. The cover had been removed by workers from a fuel company and a local electric company who had performed work in the manhole several weeks prior to the accident. The airport manager assumed the cover had been replaced after the work, but it remained on the grass beside the hole. The cover and the hole were not visible from the ramp due to the grass. An airport line employee had observed the cover off but did not report it to the manager or anyone else. After the accident, the airport manager contacted the company that had worked in the hole and was told that the cover was too heavy for one person to lift, which is why it was not replaced.