Accident
On 22 November 2015 at approximately 1430 UTC, a Piper PA-28-161 Cherokee Warrior II, registration G-MSFT, was taxiing toward its parking area at Compton Abbas Airfield in Dorset at about 10 mph. As the aircraft entered an area bounded by a parked Piper PA-28, G-OONY, on the right and a line of traffic cones on the left, the control tower radioed the pilot to advise him to watch out for the cones. The pilot instinctively looked to the left and believes he must then have unwittingly applied some right steering input. The right wingtip of G-MSFT struck the trailing edge of the left aileron of G-OONY.
Aircraft Information
G-MSFT was a Piper PA-28-161 Cherokee Warrior II, manufactured in 1984 (serial no. 28-8416093). It was powered by one Lycoming O-320-D3G piston engine. The parked aircraft, G-OONY, was also a PA-28 model.
Pilot Information
The commander held a Private Pilot’s Licence and was 49 years old. He had 349 hours total flying experience, with 125 hours on type. In the last 90 days he had flown 4 hours, and in the last 28 days, 2 hours.
Damage
G-MSFT sustained a minor dent to the right leading edge near the wingtip. G-OONY suffered minor damage to the trailing edge of its left aileron. No injuries were reported among the crew or passenger.
Circumstances
The pilot stated that he was aware of both obstructions and believed he would have cleared them, but was distracted by the “unfortunately-timed” radio call from the tower.