Incident Details
On 13 November 2018, a PA44-180T Seminole aircraft, registration SP-MIS, operated by Salt Aviation, was on a training flight with a pilot and a passenger (also a pilot) in the vicinity of EPMO. After landing at 10:35 LMT, while taxiing, the aircraft veered to the right side of the taxiway.
According to the pilot's statement, the event occurred due to momentary inattention while focusing primarily on monitoring cockpit instruments. The pilot immediately corrected and returned to the center of the taxiway. After checking engine parameters, which were normal, the pilot taxied to the parking stand. A post-flight inspection revealed damage to the left engine propeller blade tips. The pilot informed the aircraft owner and the airport operations duty officer.
During an on-site inspection, the duty officer found damage to an edge light on taxiway A2 caused by the taxiing aircraft. Following an inspection by Salt Aviation's Continuing Airworthiness Organization (CAO), the propeller was deemed unserviceable and required replacement. The engine was checked per the maintenance manual for propeller strike events and was found undamaged, thus cleared for continued operation.
Probable Cause
The cause of the incident was the pilot's improper distribution of attention in the cockpit during taxi.
Contributing Factors
No contributing factors were identified.
Actions Taken
The incident was discussed on 16 January 2019 during a Salt Aviation instructor training session. No safety recommendations were formulated.