20241026015199I

Incident · Minor damage

FAA incident report · Waco UPF-7 · Merritt Island, FL · October 26, 2024

Date: October 26, 2024 · 09:10 local
Place: Merritt Island, FL
Airport: Merritt Island
Phase of flight: Taxi
Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
Damage: Minor damage
Aircraft: N30146
Reported as: Waco UPF-7
Reported engine: JACOBS R755B series
People aboard: 2
Fatal injuries: 0
Other injuries: 0
Pilot’s certificate: Airline transport
Pilot’s flight hours: 9,825 total806 in this make and model95 in the last 90 days

N30146Registered now · Waco UPF-7S/N 5543 · Built 1941 Airframe modelWaco UPF-7 Engine modelJacobs R755B seriesReciprocating

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.

On 10/26/2024 a Waco UPF-7 was returning from a flight when, while parking, the aircraft struck a vehicle that was not authorized to be on the airfield on the operators ramp. Ground marshellers failed to alert the pilot of the aircraft that the vehicle was parked on the ramp and due to the Waco being a tail dragger and the congestion on the taxiway and ramp from an eaa event the pilot did not see the vehicle until contact was made. The aircraft sustained minor damage to the propellor and no injuries were reported.

As the FAA filed it

ON 10/26/2024 A WACO UPF-7 WAS RETURNING FROM A FLIGHT WHEN, WHILE PARKING, THE AIRCRAFT STRUCK A VEHICLE THAT WAS NOT AUTHORIZED TO BE ON THE AIRFIELD ON THE OPERATORS RAMP. GROUND MARSHELLERS FAILED TO ALERT THE PILOT OF THE AIRCRAFT THAT THE VEHICLE WAS PARKED ON THE RAMP AND DUE TO THE WACO BEING A TAIL DRAGGER AND THE CONGESTION ON THE TAXIWAY AND RAMP FROM AN EAA EVENT THE PILOT DID NOT SEE THE VEHICLE UNTIL CONTACT WAS MADE. THE AIRCRAFT SUSTAINED MINOR DAMAGE TO THE PROPELLOR AND NO INJURIES WERE REPORTED.