BONANZA V35 PROP CONTACTED WINGTIP OF CESSNA 421 AT ICT.

Date: 1999-02 · Aircraft: Bonanza 35 · Phase: ground

Anomalies: aircraft-equipment-problem-critical|conflict-ground-conflict|critical|ground-event-encounter-loss-of-aircraft-control

Synopsis

BONANZA V35 PROP CONTACTED WINGTIP OF CESSNA 421 AT ICT.

Narrative

OVERVIEW: ACFT SVCS RAMP AT ICT. AN INTENDED GND CHK OF THE ENG RESULTED IN THE PROP OF THE BONANZA V35A CLIPPING AND DAMAGING THE L TIP TANK; AILERON AND WING SKIN OF A TRANSIENT CESSNA 421 PARKED NEAR. THE BONANZA PATH DURING THE INCIDENT IS SHOWN IN THE DIAGRAM BELOW. ACTIONS PRIOR TO INCIDENT: MY INTENTION WAS TO LOOK OVER THE BONANZA BEFORE FLYING IT TO THE JACKSONVILLE; IL; ARPT (IJX) FOR THE OWNER AFTER PICKING IT UP FROM FBO AT ICT. SEQUENCE OF EVENTS IN THE INCIDENT. THE FOLLOWING SEQUENCE OF EVENTS OCCURRED (LISTED IN ORDER): 1) USING THE PLT SIDE HEADPHONE JACKS I CALLED GND CTL FOR A RADIO CHK ON EACH OF THE 2 COM RADIOS. BOTH WERE SATISFACTORY. AFTER I SIMILARLY CHKED THE CTR HEADPHONE POS I NOTICED THAT THE COPLT SIDE HEADSET JACKS HAD NOT BEEN INSTALLED. I ELECTED TO ALSO VERIFY THAT THE ENG WOULD START PROPERLY; AGAIN IN ORDER TO DEPART ON TIME FOR A DAYLIGHT DURATION FLT. 2) I WAS IN THE L SEAT AND USED THE CHKLIST TO GO THROUGH THE PRE-ENG START PROC. MY FEET WERE ON THE RUDDER PEDALS WITH MY TOES ON THE TOE BRAKES. ONE OF THE CHKLIST ITEMS WAS TO SET THE PARKING BRAKE SO I HELD THE TOE BRAKES DOWN AND PULLED THE PARKING BRAKE OUT TO ENGAGE IT (OFF-WHITE KNOB R LOWER PANEL). I THEN VERIFIED NORMAL ACTION BY RELAXING PRESSURE ON THE TOE BRAKES; THE PEDALS STAYED DOWN. AFTER VERIFYING ALL SWITCHES WERE OFF; I PLACED THE BATTERY SWITCH TO THE ON POS (LOCATED ON THE L LOWER SIDE PANEL). 3) CLRED THE AREA VISUALLY. THE FRONT WAS CLR. 4) AFTER A NORMAL ENG START; I CONTINUED WITH THE CHKLIST. 5) I HAD NO SENSATION OF MOTION BUT SAW THE AIRPLANE MOVE VISUALLY; IT WAS MOVING ACROSS TO THE R. I IMMEDIATELY APPLIED HARD TOE PRESSURE ON THE BRAKES AND PUMPED THEM PERHAPS TWICE. I SIMULTANEOUSLY FULLY RETARDED THE THROTTLE AND PULLED THE MIXTURE TO IDLE CUT-OFF (THE MIXTURE CTL IS MOUNTED BELOW THE THROTTLE RATHER THAN TO THE R OF THE PROP CTL AS IS STANDARD TODAY). AS THESE ACTIONS WERE UNDERWAY I HEARD THE PROP IMPACT THE L WING TIP TANK OF THE TWIN (CESSNA 421). THE WINDSHIELD WAS THEN ALMOST COMPLETELY OBSCURED BY FLUID (FUEL FROM THE TWIN'S TIP TANK). THE ENG STOPPED; I SWITCHED OFF THE MAGNETOS AND RAPIDLY EXITED THE AIRPLANE. 6) I SLIPPED ON THE FUEL THAT LAY ON THE GND BEHIND THE WING; FELL DOWN; GOT UP; BENT LOW AND HURRIED OVER PAST THE TAIL AND CLRED THE AIRPLANE TO THE L SIDE. AT THIS POINT I TALKED TO THE FBO LINE-PEOPLE AROUND THE AREA. THEY HAD REACTED VERY RAPIDLY AND EFFICIENTLY; AND ALERTED THE ARPT FIRE TRUCK WHICH ARRIVED WITH DISPATCH. THE PLT OF THE TWIN AND I OBSERVED THIS TRUCK SPRAYING THE FUEL SPILL AREA WITH WATER. I THEN RELATED THE SEQUENCE OF EVENTS VERBALLY TO THE 2 FAA INSPECTORS; WHO WERE CALLED TO THE SCENE. THEY CHKED THE COCKPIT AFTER FIRE SAFETY WAS ENSURED. IN MY ESTIMATION THE ENTIRE INCIDENT FROM ENG START TO IMPACT OCCURRED IN 4 SECONDS OR LESS. AFTER IMPACT THE BONANZA LONGITUDINAL AXIS LAY AT APPROX A 30 DEG ANGLE TO THE LONGITUDINAL AXIS OF THE CESSNA 421 AS SHOWN IN THE DIAGRAM ABOVE. LESSON LEARNED: THE TRANSIENT TWIN WAS PARKED AHEAD AND TO THE R OF THE BONANZA (APPROX 1/2 A FUSELAGE LENGTH AHEAD AND A FUSELAGE LENGTH TO THE R). IT WAS CLOSER TO THE BONANZA THAN WOULD BE NORMAL IN A PERMANENTLY PARKING SIT. HAD THE PARKING BRAKES NOT HOLDING RESULTED IN THE BONANZA MOVING STRAIGHT AHEAD; RATHER THAN TO THE R; THE BONANZA WOULD HAVE CLRED THE TWIN'S L WINGTIP AND SUFFICIENT SPACE AND TIME TO STOP WOULD HAVE BEEN AVAILABLE. ALTHOUGH I DECIDED TO CHK ENG OP RATHER THAN TAXI; I SHOULD HAVE KEPT IN MIND THAT MANEUVERING SPACE WAS TIGHT IN THIS CLOSELY PARKED SIT. HAD I BEEN READY TO TAXI FOR TKOF I WOULD HAVE WAITED FOR THE TWIN TO BE MOVED SINCE IT WAS PARKED CLOSE. IN THE FUTURE I WILL ENSURE THAT EVEN AN ENG CHK SHOULD BE DONE WITHIN THE CONSTRAINTS OF MANEUVERING SPACE REQUIRED FOR TAXI.

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