CEN16LA008

The pilot reported that he was taxiing for takeoff when he inadvertently turned onto a vehicle service road instead of the taxiway as he was leaving the ramp area. He then looked down to review the airport diagram on his tablet. As he was reviewing the airport diagram while still taxiing, the left wing impacted a fence post. The airplane's nose then turned left, and the front of the airplane impacted a vehicle gate, which resulted in substantial damage to the left wing.

On October 12, 2015, about 1340 central standard time, a Beechcraft A36, N55674, sustained substantial damage while taxiing for takeoff at Dallas Love Field (DAL), Dallas, Texas, when the left wingtip hit a service road fence post. The pilot, the sole occupant, was not injured. The airplane was owned and operated by Frog Air LLC under the provisions of the 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 as a personal flight. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time of the accident, and an instrument flight plan was filed. The destination airport was the Rick Husband Amarillo International Airport (AMA), Amarillo, Texas. Air traffic control cleared the pilot to taxi to runway 31R via Taxiway A. While leaving the ramp area and transitioning to the taxiway environment, the pilot joined a vehicle service road instead of Taxiway A. As he taxied on the service road, the airplane came to a security fence on the left side of the road. The pilot reported that he looked down to review the airport diagram on his iPad. As he was looking over the airport diagram while still taxiing, the left wing impacted a fence post, which was part of a vehicle gate. The impact turned the nose of the aircraft to the left and the front of the aircraft impacted the vehicle gate, resulting in substantial damage to the left wing. At 1353, the surface weather at DAL was: wind variable at 4 kts; 10 miles visibility; skies clear; temperature 33 degrees C; dew point 17 degrees C; altimeter 29.78 inches of mercury.