What happened
On July 12, 2009, at approximately 09:50 local time, a North American T-6-G, registration EC-HYY, was taxiing at Valencia Airport for a local pleasure flight. The aircraft, carrying a pilot and one passenger, was moving from its hangar located south of the airport to the general aviation apron 1 to refuel.
Due to the taildragger configuration of the aircraft, the pilot's forward visibility was obstructed. To navigate around obstacles, the pilot utilized a zig-zag taxiing technique. During the taxi, the aircraft followed instructions from the control tower, traversing various taxiways and crossing runway 30-12. Upon reaching gate A of the general aviation apron, the propeller of the North American T-6-G struck the front cabin of a parked helicopter, registration EC-JMK.
While the occupants of the aircraft were uninjured, the collision resulted in minor damage to the North American T-6-G and significant damage to the cabin of the EC-JMK helicopter.
The investigation
The CIAIAC examined the communications between the pilot and the control tower, confirming that the taxiing maneuvers were conducted in accordance with the instructions provided by Air Traffic Control. The investigation also verified that the helicopter involved in the collision was correctly parked within its designated area.
Findings
- The pilot failed to maintain adequate clearance from stationary objects.
- The pilot's error in judgment was the primary cause, specifically regarding the difficulty of navigating the aircraft's limited forward visibility.
- The inherent design of the aircraft requires specialized taxiing maneuvers (zig-zagging) to compensate for the lack of visibility over the nose, which contributed to the incident.