20051116032699I

Incident · Minor damage

FAA incident report · Cessna 208B · Charleston, WV · November 16, 2005

Date
November 16, 2005 · 21:30 local
Place
Charleston, WV
Airport
Yeager
Phase of flight
Ground Taxi, Other Airplane
Operating rules
Air taxi and commuter (Part 135)
Operator
SBAA
Damage
Minor damage
Aircraft
N717FX
Reported as
Cessna 208B
People aboard
1
Fatal injuries
0
Pilot’s flight hours
5,200 total

From the FAA’s Accident/Incident Data System (AIDS), through its Aviation Safety Information Portal, as reported. The NTSB investigates accidents separately, and its record of an accident is the fuller one. The aircraft is matched to the registry by N-number and event date, checked against the reported make and model; the registry’s history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.

What happened

The FAA’s narrative, in sentence case. The FAA writes it in capitals and removes private details.

(-23) privacy data omitted the pilot exited taxiway b at B1 and made an immediate right turn on the ramp, a non-movement area for local ATC control. The aircraft struck a mobile, helicopter landing platform that was unlighted, not marked off by orange pylons nor did it even have any reflective tape attached. Additionally, this helicopter landing platform was painted a dark blue, which made it very difficult to see at night, and it would not have been illuminated by the aircraft taxi lights, until after the completion of the turn onto the ramp. The aircraft propeller struck the helicopter landing platform causing damage to the wooden deck of the platform and considerable damage to the aircraft propeller.

As the FAA filed it

(-23) ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ THE PILOT EXITED TAXIWAY B AT B1 AND MADE AN IMMEDIATE RIGHT TURN ON THE RAMP, A NON-MOVEMENT AREA FOR LOCAL ATC CONTROL. THE AIRCRAFT STRUCK A MOBILE, HELICOPTER LANDING PLATFORM THAT WAS UNLIGHTED, NOT MARKED OFF BY ORANGE PYLONS NOR DID IT EVEN HAVE ANY REFLECTIVE TAPE ATTACHED. ADDITIONALLY, THIS HELICOPTER LANDING PLATFORM WAS PAINTED A DARK BLUE, WHICH MADE IT VERY DIFFICULT TO SEE AT NIGHT, AND IT WOULD NOT HAVE BEEN ILLUMINATED BY THE AIRCRAFT TAXI LIGHTS, UNTIL AFTER THE COMPLETION OF THE TURN ONTO THE RAMP. THE AIRCRAFT PROPELLER STRUCK THE HELICOPTER LANDING PLATFORM CAUSING DAMAGE TO THE WOODEN DECK OF THE PLATFORM AND CONSIDERABLE DAMAGE TO THE AIRCRAFT PROPELLER.