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Pilot taxied into a tight area hitting a pickup truck.
| Attributes | |
| ACN | 206393 |
| Time | |
| Date | 199203 |
| Day | Mon |
| Local Time Of Day | 1201 To 1800 |
| Place | |
| Locale Reference | airport : vny |
| State Reference | CA |
| Altitude | agl bound lower : 0 agl bound upper : 0 |
| Environment | |
| Flight Conditions | VMC |
| Light | Daylight |
| Aircraft 1 | |
| Controlling Facilities | tower : sjc |
| Operator | general aviation : personal |
| Make Model Name | Small Aircraft, High Wing, 1 Eng, Fixed Gear |
| Flight Phase | ground other : taxi |
| Person 1 | |
| Affiliation | Other |
| Function | flight crew : single pilot |
| Qualification | pilot : instrument pilot : private |
| Experience | flight time last 90 days : 22 flight time total : 325 flight time type : 302 |
| ASRS Report | 206393 |
| Person 2 | |
| Affiliation | government : faa |
| Function | controller : ground |
| Qualification | controller : non radar |
| Events | |
| Anomaly | conflict : ground critical other anomaly other |
| Independent Detector | other flight crewa |
| Resolutory Action | none taken : detected after the fact none taken : anomaly accepted |
| Consequence | other |
| Supplementary | |
| Primary Problem | Flight Crew Human Performance |
| Air Traffic Incident | Pilot Deviation |
Narrative:
I was taxiing an small aircraft back to the northwest corner of van nuys airport, specifically the commercial aircraft sales line. As I taxied up to the ramp area, I noticed that there were several aircraft parked on the sales ramp. I saw an area between a hangar and an aircraft that looked like it had enough room to taxi through. As I got closer, I realized it would be better to go between the hangar and other aircraft straight as compared to an angle. I turned to the left and then to the right to approach the area straight on. There was a small pickup truck parked against the hangar, which my left wing cleared. After making sure that my left wing cleared the truck, I returned my attention back to the right wing. While watching my right wing to make sure it cleared the parked aircraft, I heard a scraping noise and felt my plane softly rock back and forth. I looked to my left and saw that the left wing had hit a part of the utility rack that was on the truck. The utility rack was hard to see because it blended in with the hangar. I stopped and exited the airplane and saw that there was a hole about the size of my thumb in the leading edge at 5-6 inches in from the wing tip. With help I pulled the plane away from the truck and then parked it. In my opinion, I should have stopped taxiing and made a closer inspection as to whether or not I could have taxied in that area. I also believe that the truck should not have been parked on a taxiway, even though it was up against a hangar.
Original NASA ASRS Text
Title: PLT TAXIED INTO A TIGHT AREA HITTING A PICKUP TRUCK.
Narrative: I WAS TAXIING AN SMA BACK TO THE NW CORNER OF VAN NUYS ARPT, SPECIFICALLY THE COMMERCIAL ACFT SALES LINE. AS I TAXIED UP TO THE RAMP AREA, I NOTICED THAT THERE WERE SEVERAL ACFT PARKED ON THE SALES RAMP. I SAW AN AREA BTWN A HANGAR AND AN ACFT THAT LOOKED LIKE IT HAD ENOUGH ROOM TO TAXI THROUGH. AS I GOT CLOSER, I REALIZED IT WOULD BE BETTER TO GO BTWN THE HANGAR AND OTHER ACFT STRAIGHT AS COMPARED TO AN ANGLE. I TURNED TO THE L AND THEN TO THE R TO APCH THE AREA STRAIGHT ON. THERE WAS A SMALL PICKUP TRUCK PARKED AGAINST THE HANGAR, WHICH MY L WING CLRED. AFTER MAKING SURE THAT MY L WING CLRED THE TRUCK, I RETURNED MY ATTN BACK TO THE R WING. WHILE WATCHING MY R WING TO MAKE SURE IT CLRED THE PARKED ACFT, I HEARD A SCRAPING NOISE AND FELT MY PLANE SOFTLY ROCK BACK AND FORTH. I LOOKED TO MY L AND SAW THAT THE L WING HAD HIT A PART OF THE UTILITY RACK THAT WAS ON THE TRUCK. THE UTILITY RACK WAS HARD TO SEE BECAUSE IT BLENDED IN WITH THE HANGAR. I STOPPED AND EXITED THE AIRPLANE AND SAW THAT THERE WAS A HOLE ABOUT THE SIZE OF MY THUMB IN THE LEADING EDGE AT 5-6 INCHES IN FROM THE WING TIP. WITH HELP I PULLED THE PLANE AWAY FROM THE TRUCK AND THEN PARKED IT. IN MY OPINION, I SHOULD HAVE STOPPED TAXIING AND MADE A CLOSER INSPECTION AS TO WHETHER OR NOT I COULD HAVE TAXIED IN THAT AREA. I ALSO BELIEVE THAT THE TRUCK SHOULD NOT HAVE BEEN PARKED ON A TAXIWAY, EVEN THOUGH IT WAS UP AGAINST A HANGAR.
Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of July 2007 and automatically converted to unabbreviated mixed upper/lowercase text. This report is for informational purposes with no guarantee of accuracy. See NASA's ASRS site for official report.