Incident Description
On 17 May 2004 at approximately 1230 hours UTC, a Piper PA-28-161 Cherokee Warrior II, registration G-BNOH, sustained damage to its left wing leading edge during taxiing at Old Sarum Airfield, Wiltshire. The aircraft had just completed an uneventful flight from Sherburn-in-Elmet and landed on Runway 24. The commander, who held a Private Pilot's Licence and had 356 hours of flying experience (all on type), was unfamiliar with the airfield.
Airfield Layout
Old Sarum is a grass airfield originally opened by the Royal Flying Corps in 1917. The licensed Runway 06/24 is delineated by two rows of white cones. To the north of the runway lies a taxiing area providing access between the runway, aircraft parking, and buildings on the northern boundary. Parking for visiting aircraft was on a strip of recently mown grass north of the taxiing area, separated by a row of yellow cones. At the time of the incident, no other aircraft were parked there to help identify it as a parking area. The entire field is maintained to a high standard, but the smooth appearance makes the various parallel sections difficult to distinguish from an aircraft on the ground.
Communication and Pilot Actions
After landing, the commander asked Old Sarum Radio if he should backtrack the runway. The radio operator advised, "EXIT RIGHT AND TAXI OUTSIDE THE YELLOW CONES." The commander and his passenger, also a pilot, considered this instruction ambiguous, as it could refer to the relative position of the observer (radio operator north of the cones or aircraft south). They proceeded toward the parking area, with the left wing partly overhanging long grass. As they approached, the left wing struck a tall metal fence post, partially hidden behind a bush, denting the leading edge about three feet inboard of the left wing tip. The aircraft was pushed back and taxied to a parking position. An engineer from the local maintenance organisation inspected the damage and determined the aircraft should not be flown.
Aftermath
The fence post has since been painted yellow and had short streamers attached to increase visibility. The commander had consulted charts from the AIP and a flight guide before the flight, but neither provided sufficient detail to positively identify the taxiing or parking areas. Staff at Old Sarum noted that there is no strictly defined taxiway, and the CAA's Aerodrome Standards Department advised that there are no published requirements for marking such unpaved areas.