20160727012559I

Incident · Minor damage

FAA incident report · Piper PA-32-300 · Carlsbad, CA · July 27, 2016

Date: July 27, 2016 · 11:05 local
Place: Carlsbad, CA
Airport: Palomar
Phase of flight: Taxi
Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
Damage: Minor damage
Aircraft: N4195W
Reported as: Piper PA-32-300
Reported engine: Lycoming TI0-540 series
People aboard: 1
Fatal injuries: 0
Other injuries: 0
Pilot’s certificates: Commercial pilot, private pilot
Pilot’s flight hours: 361 total12 in this make and model40 in the last 90 days

N4195WRegistered now · Piper PA-32-300S/N 32-40283 · Built 1967 Airframe modelPiper PA-32-300 Engine modelLycoming TI0-540 seriesTurbo-prop

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.

Pilot taxied to designated parking, front of control tower, and while maneuvering around a parked plane close to the airport fence and a light pole, right wing tip struck light pole. The hit cracked the fiberglass tip fuel tank and damaged the nav light assembly, creating a spark that ignited the vapor and a fire followed, at the right tip tank. The quick response of the airport fire dept. To contained the fire saved the aircraft from further damage.

As the FAA filed it

PILOT TAXIED TO DESIGNATED PARKING, FRONT OF CONTROL TOWER, AND WHILE MANEUVERING AROUND A PARKED PLANE CLOSE TO THE AIRPORT FENCE AND A LIGHT POLE, RIGHT WING TIP STRUCK LIGHT POLE. THE HIT CRACKED THE FIBERGLASS TIP FUEL TANK AND DAMAGED THE NAV LIGHT ASSEMBLY, CREATING A SPARK THAT IGNITED THE VAPOR AND A FIRE FOLLOWED, AT THE RIGHT TIP TANK. THE QUICK RESPONSE OF THE AIRPORT FIRE DEPT. TO CONTAINED THE FIRE SAVED THE AIRCRAFT FROM FURTHER DAMAGE.