What happened
On 22 November 2015, a Piper PA-28-161 Cherokee Warrior II, registration G-MSFT, was taxiing toward its parking area at Compton Abbas Airfield in Dorset. The aircraft was operating a private flight with one pilot and one passenger on board. While traveling at approximately 10 mph, the aircraft entered a narrow passage bounded by a line of traffic cones on the left and a stationary PA-28 aircraft, registration G-OONY, on the right.
During this maneuver, the control tower issued a radio transmission to the pilot, advising him to remain vigilant regarding the position of the cones. In response to this communication, the pilot looked toward the left side of the taxiway. During this moment of distraction, the aircraft drifted toward the right, resulting in the right wingtip of G-MSFT making contact with the trailing edge of the left aileron of G-OONY.
The investigation
The investigation was based on the aircraft accident report submitted by the pilot. The examination of the aircraft revealed minor damage to the right leading edge of the wingtip on G-MSFT and minor damage to the trailing edge of the left aileron on G-OONY. There were no injuries to the pilot or the passenger, and no fatalities were reported.
Findings
- The collision occurred because the pilot was distracted by a radio call from the control tower.
- The pilot's instinctive reaction to look toward the traffic cones caused an unintended steering input toward the parked aircraft.