20090925019569I

Incident · Minor damage

FAA incident report · Piper PA-28-161 · Everett, WA · September 25, 2009

Date
September 25, 2009 · 13:50 local
Place
Everett, WA
Airport
Snohomish County (Paine Fld)
Phase of flight
Ground/Ramp/Ma
Operating rules
General operating rules (Part 91)
Damage
Minor damage
Aircraft
N53597
Reported as
Piper PA28161
Reported engine
Lycoming O320D2J
People aboard
1
Fatal injuries
0
Other injuries
0
Pilot’s flight hours
50 total40 in this make and model40 in the last 90 days

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.

It appears that the pilot was taxiing too close to the corner of the hangar at the same time trying to communicate to ground control of his intent when suddenly the left wing tip of his aircraft clipped the hangar and took out the downspout causing minor damage to the fiberglass attached to the wing tip along with the tip light. Subsequent inspection of the wing tip by northwest aviation mechanic revealed no internal damage to the wing support structure. Aircraft was repaired on-site, was signed-off, and was flown back to auburn.

As the FAA filed it

IT APPEARS THAT THE PILOT WAS TAXIING TOO CLOSE TO THE CORNER OF THE HANGAR AT THE SAME TIME TRYING TO COMMUNICATE TO GROUND CONTROL OF HIS INTENT WHEN SUDDENLY THE LEFT WING TIP OF HIS AIRCRAFT CLIPPED THE HANGAR AND TOOK OUT THE DOWNSPOUT CAUSING MINOR DAMAGE TO THE FIBERGLASS ATTACHED TO THE WING TIP ALONG WITH THE TIP LIGHT. SUBSEQUENT INSPECTION OF THE WING TIP BY NORTHWEST AVIATION MECHANIC REVEALED NO INTERNAL DAMAGE TO THE WING SUPPORT STRUCTURE. AIRCRAFT WAS REPAIRED ON-SITE, WAS SIGNED-OFF, AND WAS FLOWN BACK TO AUBURN.