What happened
On 16 May 1999, a Pitts S-1D, registration G-BETI, was being prepared for a private flight at Fishburn Airfield in County Durham. The aircraft was moved from its hangar, located north of the grass Runway 08/26, to begin its taxi towards the runway.
As the pilot taxied the aircraft through a section of the airfield containing rows of parked planes, the propeller of G-BETI struck the trailing edge of the right wing of a stationary Rallye 235. The collision caused damage to the propeller of the Pitts aircraft and damage to the wing of the parked Rallye.
The investigation
The investigation was based on the accident report submitted by the pilot. The pilot noted that visibility from the cockpit of the Pitts S-1D was significantly restricted during the taxi. It was established that the pilot was intending to perform clearing taxi turns to ensure the path ahead was unobstructed when the contact occurred. The pilot had not seen the parked Rallye 235 before the collision.