20200727008789I

Incident · Minor damage

FAA incident report · Cirrus Design SR22 · Tampa, FL · July 27, 2020

Date: July 27, 2020 · 07:15 local
Place: Tampa, FL
Phase of flight: Taxi
Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
Damage: Minor damage
Aircraft: N399AA
Reported as: Cirrus Design SR22
Reported engine: Continental IO-550-N
People aboard: 3
Fatal injuries: 0
Other injuries: 0
Pilot’s certificate: Commercial pilot
Pilot’s flight hours: 4,219 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.

The pilot was taxiing eastward when the glare of the morning sun caused the pilot to have difficulty with visibility. He continued taxiing and stayed on the taxiway centerline as he was trained to do as a commercial pilot. As he taxied he felt a bump and thought he dislodged a drainage grate. He turned his aircraft around and saw a protruding part of heavy equipment placed off the taxiway in front of some hangers being repaired. He then saw a piece of carbon fiber protruding up from his right wing that had made contact wih the heavy equipment.

As the FAA filed it

THE PILOT WAS TAXIING EASTWARD WHEN THE GLARE OF THE MORNING SUN CAUSED THE PILOT TO HAVE DIFFICULTY WITH VISIBILITY. HE CONTINUED TAXIING AND STAYED ON THE TAXIWAY CENTERLINE AS HE WAS TRAINED TO DO AS A COMMERCIAL PILOT. AS HE TAXIED HE FELT A BUMP AND THOUGHT HE DISLODGED A DRAINAGE GRATE. HE TURNED HIS AIRCRAFT AROUND AND SAW A PROTRUDING PART OF HEAVY EQUIPMENT PLACED OFF THE TAXIWAY IN FRONT OF SOME HANGERS BEING REPAIRED. HE THEN SAW A PIECE OF CARBON FIBER PROTRUDING UP FROM HIS RIGHT WING THAT HAD MADE CONTACT WIH THE HEAVY EQUIPMENT.