C182 PLT; WHILE ATTEMPTING TO PARK HIS ACFT AT INDIAN HEAD (2W5); MD; TAXIED INTO A HOLE; DAMAGING THE PROP.

Narrative

FBO MGR TOLD PLT THAT THE ACFT COULD NOT BE PARKED IN FRONT OF FBO; IT HAD TO BE PARKED ON THE SE PART OF THE FIELD. (ALL OTHER LCL ACFT WERE PARKED ON THE NE AND NW PARKING AREAS. THERE WAS A SINGLE ACFT PARKED IN THE SE AREA.) PLT TAXIED THE ACFT DOWN THE RWY AND PROCEEDED OFF OF THE RWY ACROSS THE GRASS TO THE PARKING/TIEDOWN AREA. PLT DECIDED TO TAXI AROUND THE TIEDOWN AREA AND TAXI INTO THE PARKING SPOT FROM THE REAR. (RATHER THAN TAXIING THROUGH THE TIEDOWN AREA; AND RISK THE PROP GETTING TANGLED WITH TIEDOWN ROPES AND TIEDOWN LOCATION MARKERS; WHICH WERE OLD ACFT TIRES TURNED ON THEIR SIDES.) PLT TAXIED AROUND; AND THE NOSEWHEEL OF THE ACFT FELL INTO A 1 FT DEEP HOLE (THAT THE PLT DID NOT SEE). THE PROP THEN IMPACTED THE GND DAMAGING THE PROP. ONLY THE PROP WAS DAMAGED; AND THE ACFT WAS NOT TAXIING FOR THE PURPOSE OF FLT AND THEREFORE THE EVENT IS NOT A RPTABLE ACCIDENT BY FAA/NTSB STANDARDS. THE HOLE WAS IN VERY CLOSE PROX TO THE TIEDOWN AREA. GNDS PERSONNEL HAD MOWED THE GRASS OVER THIS AREA IN SUCH A WAY THAT THE AREA LOOKED LEVEL AND SAFE TO THE PLT TAXIING. IN ORDER TO GAIN ACCESS TO THE TIEDOWN AREA; ALL ACFT WOULD HAVE TO TAXI THROUGH THIS AREA. GNDS PERSONNEL SHOULD HAVE FILLED IN THE HOLE WHEN IT WAS DISCOVERED; IE; DURING THE WKLY MOWING. AT THE VERY LEAST; ARPT PERSONNEL SHOULD HAVE MARKED THE AREA WITH AN ORANGE CONE OR TWO. ARPT PERSONNEL DID NOT FILL IN THE HOLE OR MARK THE AREA AFTER THIS EVENT. I AM FORCED TO CONCLUDE THAT SOME OTHER PLT WILL MAKE THE SAME MISTAKE. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: THE TIEDOWN AREA IS LOCATED APPROX 3/4 OF THE WAY DOWN AND 20-30 FT TO THE E OF RWY 18. IT'S COMPRISED OF 3 TIEDOWNS; ORIENTED TO FACE THE RWY. AT THE TIME OF THE OCCURRENCE; THE MOST NORTHERLY SPOT WAS OCCUPIED BY A LIGHT TWIN. THE RPTR STATED HE ATTEMPTED TO CIRCUMNAV THE TIEDOWN SPOTS TO THE S; OVER CUT GRASS; IN ORDER TO APCH THE SELECTED SPOT FROM THE E; ELIMINATING A HIGH PWR SWING AROUND. UNFORTUNATELY; THE GRASS PROVIDED COVER FOR THE UNWELCOMED HOLE. THE RPTR ANNOUNCED THAT HE; ALONG WITH THE ACFT OWNER; HAS ADVISED THE ARPT MGR OF THE HAZARD.