Introduction
On 17 August 2015 at 1115 UTC, a Boeing B75N1 Stearman, registration N56200, was involved in a ground collision with a Robinson R44 helicopter at Goodwood Aerodrome, Sussex. The aircraft, manufactured in 1943, was powered by a single Lycoming R680 piston engine and was being operated on a private flight with one pilot and one passenger. No injuries were reported among the occupants or others.
Sequence of Events
The Stearman was parked outside a hangar in an area where construction works were ongoing and temporary buildings had been erected in preparation for an event. The pilot boarded the aircraft, started the engine, and began to taxi. After moving off, the aircraft turned through 90 degrees to proceed between buildings towards the runway. The width of the area between the buildings was insufficient to allow the turns necessary for the pilot of a Stearman to see the area ahead. The pilot observed one helicopter parked ahead on the left and another on the right but could not see directly forward. Consequently, the propeller and nose of N56200 contacted the front of a Robinson R44 helicopter that was parked between the other two.
Damage and Aftermath
The pilot immediately realized a collision had occurred and shut down the aircraft. She and her passenger vacated it without difficulty. The helicopter was unoccupied and no injuries resulted, but its cockpit was destroyed. The damage to the Stearman was limited to the propeller and tears in the left wing. The collision could have been avoided if the pilot had ensured that the area into which it taxied was clear of obstructions, either by observation or by the use of wing-walkers or marshallers.