ACFT DAMAGED AS IT HITS FENCE; UNATTENDED. PARKING BRAKES WERE OFF AND CHOCKS REMOVED.

Date: 1994-06 · Aircraft: PA-31 Navajo/Chieftan/Mojave/T1040 · Phase: ground

Anomalies: deviation-discrepancy-procedural-published-material-policy|other-unspecified

Synopsis

ACFT DAMAGED AS IT HITS FENCE; UNATTENDED. PARKING BRAKES WERE OFF AND CHOCKS REMOVED.

Narrative

AT PM55 ON JUN/94 I WAS IN THE DISPATCH/OPS OFFICE TALKING TO THE DISPATCHER ABOUT THE ACFT I WAS FLYING AND ITS NEED TO BE TAKEN INTO SVC FOR AN INSPECTION THE NEXT DAY; WHEN I REALIZED I WOULD BE LATE FOR MY NEXT FLT AT PMXX. I WENT OUT TO THE ACFT; I DIDN'T SEE MY FO ON THE WAY OUT; AND UNCHOCKED THE NOSEWHEEL THEN ENTERED THE ACFT. THE FO WASN'T THERE. I THEN REALIZED WE WEREN'T DUE OUT UNTIL PM15. I THEN TURNED AROUND TO EXIT THE ACFT (THE PARKING BRAKE IS LEFT OFF WITH THE CHOCK IN PLACE AFTER SHUTDOWN). UPON EXIT ANOTHER PLT APCHED ME AND ASKED ME A COUPLE OF QUESTIONS. WE THEN WENT INTO THE TERMINAL AT DALLAS LOVE FIELD AND BACK TO THE OPS OFFICE. I LEFT THERE FOR THE ACFT AGAIN AT ABOUT PM08 FOR OUR PM15 START-UP. ON THE WAY OUT I WAS TOLD THAT THE ACFT HAD ROLLED INTO THE SECURITY FENCE AND THAT THE L ELEVATOR WAS DAMAGED AND THAT THE ACFT WAS UNFLYABLE. I PROCEEDED OUT TO THE ACFT; WHICH HAD BEEN MOVED BACK TO ITS PARKING SPOT AT THE GATE AND CHOCKED. THE ACFT WAS INDEED UNFLYABLE WITH A DAMAGED L ELEVATOR. I FEEL THAT IF I WOULD HAVE CHKED FURTHER I WOULD HAVE REALIZED THAT I HAD THE WRONG STARTUP TIME AND THAT IF I HAD NOT LET MYSELF BE DISTRACTED; THAT I WOULD HAVE PUT THE CHOCKS BACK IN PLACE. UPON ENTERING THE ACFT I SHOULD HAVE SET THE PARKING BRAKE AUTOMATICALLY. CORRECT PROC CALLS FOR SETTING THE PARKING BRAKE AND THEN HAVE THE GATE AGENT REMOVE THE CHOCKS. DON'T RUSH YOURSELF OR ALLOW YOURSELF TO BE DISTRACTED. NO ONE WAS IN OR NEAR THE ACFT WHEN IT ROLLED INTO THE FENCE SOME 15-20 YARDS AWAY. NO ONE SAW THE ACFT ROLL BACKWARDS. A COSTLY LESSON LEARNED.

Source: NASA Aviation Safety Reporting System (public domain). Reports are voluntary submissions and are not verified by NASA.