What happened
On 17 January 1998, at approximately 1600 hrs, a Piper PA-28-161, registration G-FOXA, was involved in a ground incident at Leicester Airport. The aircraft was being operated on a private flight. While taxiing from Runway 22 toward a parking area located near the fuel farm, the pilot attempted to maneuver the aircraft to the left of a stationary Cessna 152.
During this maneuver, the pilot focused on maintaining sufficient separation from the Cessna 152 on the right side of the aircraft. In the process of navigating around the other aircraft, the left wing of the G-FOXA made contact with a fence post. The impact caused damage to the leading edge of the left wing, approximately 600 mm from the wing tip.
The investigation
The investigation was based on the aircraft accident report submitted by the pilot. Investigators examined the circumstances of the taxiing maneuver and the positioning of the aircraft relative to the obstacles on the airfield. The inquiry established that there were no injuries to the pilot or the single passenger on board, and the damage was confined to the aircraft's structure.