What happened
On 10 October 2014, an Extra EA 300, registration G-SIII, was involved in a ground collision at White Waltham Airfield in Berkshire. The pilot, a member of the local flying club, had completed a landing on Runway 21 and was taxiing toward the fuel pumps to refuel the aircraft.
Due to the restricted forward visibility inherent in the Extra EA 300 design, the pilot utilized a weaving taxi technique to maintain clearance from other aircraft and to follow established tyre tracks. During this maneuver, the aircraft struck a small, low-profile bowser containing Jet A1 fuel. The impact was nose-first, resulting in damage to the aircraft's propeller, spinner, lower cowling, and left spat, as well as shock-loading the engine. The bowser also sustained damage. There were no injuries to the pilot.
The investigation
The investigation was based on the aircraft accident report submitted by the pilot. Investigators established that the pilot was aware that the bowser is frequently parked in that specific location to service helicopters. However, the pilot had not visually identified the vehicle's presence prior to the collision. The pilot noted that his primary concern during taxiing had been avoiding aircraft landing on Runway 21, rather than ground equipment located along the taxi route to the pumps.