LAX04CA065

The airplane collided with a parked, unoccupied, vehicle while taxiing to the active runway. The pilot said that while taxiing, he noticed a red truck parked on the right side of the taxiway. He maneuvered the airplane so that the nose gear was about 1 foot to the left of the taxiway centerline, and attempted to avoid the vehicle. He estimated that he was taxiing about 7 miles per hour when the right wing contacted the truck's cab and he felt the airplane suddenly veer sharply to the right. The right propeller made contact with the front of the truck, and he applied the brakes. After the airplane came to a complete stop, he shut down both engines. The pilot stated that there were no preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane.

On December 09, 2003, about 0900 Pacific standard time, a Beech 58P, N58JG, had an on-ground collision with a parked and unoccupied truck while taxiing to the runway at Montgomery Field (MYF), San Diego, California. The pilot was operating the airplane under the provisions of 14 CFR Part 91. The private pilot and one passenger were not injured; the airplane sustained substantial damage. The personal cross-country flight was intended to depart Montgomery Field, en route to Aspen-Pitkin County Airport (ASE), Aspen, Colorado. Day visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and an instrument flight rules (IFR) flight plan had been filed.

During a telephone interview with the National Transportation Safety Board investigator-in-charge (IIC), the pilot stated that after receiving clearance from the tower, he began to taxi to the active runway. While taxiing, he noticed a red truck parked on the right side of the taxiway. He maneuvered the airplane so that the nose gear was about 1 foot to the left of the taxiway centerline, and attempted to avoid the vehicle. He estimated that he was taxiing about 7 miles per hour when he felt the airplane suddenly veer sharply to the right. The right propeller made contact with the front of the truck, and he applied the brakes. After the airplane came to a complete stop, he shut down both engines. He stated that there were no preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane.

A Federal Aviation Administration inspector responded to the accident scene. He reported that the right wing of the airplane came into contact with the left side of the truck's cab. He believed that after the initial contact occurred, the airplane rotated clockwise toward the front of the truck. Then, the propeller contacted the front of the truck.

An airframe and powerplant mechanic (A&P) assessed the damage that the airplane incurred during the accident. He stated that the airplane sustained damage to the right wing leading edge skin, top and bottom right wing panels, right propeller, and possibly the right engine.