What happened
On 13 July 2008, at approximately 09:55 UTC, a Socata TB9 Tampico, registration G-BHOZ, was performing a private flight at Shobdon Airfield in Herefordshire. While taxiing along the tarmac of Taxiway B, which runs parallel to Runway 09, the pilot missed the intended right-hand turn.
Following the missed turn, the pilot failed to notice and avoid a hole in the grass portion of the parallel Taxiway B. As the aircraft continued its path, the right wingtip struck a plastic safety barrier that had been positioned around the hole. The impact resulted in damage to the right wing skin panel at the leading edge. There were no injuries to the pilot during the incident.
The investigation
The investigation was based on the aircraft accident report form submitted by the pilot. The inquiry examined the sequence of events on the taxiway and the pilot's actions during the taxi phase. The investigation established that the pilot was aware of the error and provided an account of the circumstances leading to the contact with the barrier.