Narrative:

Today, oct/xx/96, while visiting the airport, I met up with the president of XXX, mr. A. I do contract maintenance through the company I work for, on training aircraft -- a C152. Mr. A and I walked out on the flight line to look at russian yak aircraft that was parked on the flight line. When we were complete we walked over to aircraft Z to check the oil and see how she looked. As we were about to leave, I walked around the nose and noticed some paint damage to the propeller spinner which I had not seen before. I asked mr. A about the damage and he was as surprised as I that anything was wrong. The damage appeared to be a 3 inch diameter dent which had been pounded out from inside the spinner located about 1/2 way between the tip of the spinner and the propeller blade. It appeared that someone either taxied a wingtip into the spinner or someone towed an airplane wingtip into the spinner. I walked down the tie-down line to see if I could find an airplane with red paint xfer on the wingtip. The first airplane I examined had red paint xfers that matched Z's color on the wingtip. The paint xfer was on the bottom of the dropped section of the wingtip. There were 2, 3/4 inch cracks which were emanating from the fiberglass wingtip, one from the rear and one from the end about 2/3 back. When I moved the rear lower part of the wingtip the trailing edge opened up revealing a complete delamination of the rear of the wingtip (approximately 8 inches). Mr. Z contacted the owner of the aircraft, who immediately came to the airport. After a few questions were asked the facts of the incident came out. Sometime between oct/xx/96 and oct/yy/96 a mechanic towed the aircraft to its parking space striking Z. The owner of the maintenance shop, without notifying either owner or without permission or authority/authorized, removed the spinner from Z and beat out the dent. The spinner was then reinstalled on Z without a proper return to service entry in the aircraft logbooks. Z has been flown dozens of times by students, some solo and some with instructors, who assumed the aircraft was legal and safe to fly. The owner of the aircraft has flown his airplane a couple times including a trip to XXX. It is inconceivable to me that an a&P mechanic could be so stupid not to notify the owner of the airplanes involved and could allow either airplane to continue service without the proper signoff in the logbooks. This a&P is not a rookie. He has been working on airplanes for 40+ yrs.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: C152 ACFT, BELONGING TO FLYING SCHOOL, WAS HIT ON THE PROP SPINNER BY ANOTHER ACFT BEING TOWED. WITHOUT NOTIFYING ANY OF THE OWNERS, A MECH AT THE ARPT REMOVED THE SPINNER AND BEAT OUT THE DENT. DISCOVERED BY RPTR ON WALK AROUND INSPECTION.

Narrative: TODAY, OCT/XX/96, WHILE VISITING THE ARPT, I MET UP WITH THE PRESIDENT OF XXX, MR. A. I DO CONTRACT MAINT THROUGH THE COMPANY I WORK FOR, ON TRAINING ACFT -- A C152. MR. A AND I WALKED OUT ON THE FLT LINE TO LOOK AT RUSSIAN YAK ACFT THAT WAS PARKED ON THE FLT LINE. WHEN WE WERE COMPLETE WE WALKED OVER TO ACFT Z TO CHK THE OIL AND SEE HOW SHE LOOKED. AS WE WERE ABOUT TO LEAVE, I WALKED AROUND THE NOSE AND NOTICED SOME PAINT DAMAGE TO THE PROP SPINNER WHICH I HAD NOT SEEN BEFORE. I ASKED MR. A ABOUT THE DAMAGE AND HE WAS AS SURPRISED AS I THAT ANYTHING WAS WRONG. THE DAMAGE APPEARED TO BE A 3 INCH DIAMETER DENT WHICH HAD BEEN POUNDED OUT FROM INSIDE THE SPINNER LOCATED ABOUT 1/2 WAY BTWN THE TIP OF THE SPINNER AND THE PROP BLADE. IT APPEARED THAT SOMEONE EITHER TAXIED A WINGTIP INTO THE SPINNER OR SOMEONE TOWED AN AIRPLANE WINGTIP INTO THE SPINNER. I WALKED DOWN THE TIE-DOWN LINE TO SEE IF I COULD FIND AN AIRPLANE WITH RED PAINT XFER ON THE WINGTIP. THE FIRST AIRPLANE I EXAMINED HAD RED PAINT XFERS THAT MATCHED Z'S COLOR ON THE WINGTIP. THE PAINT XFER WAS ON THE BOTTOM OF THE DROPPED SECTION OF THE WINGTIP. THERE WERE 2, 3/4 INCH CRACKS WHICH WERE EMANATING FROM THE FIBERGLASS WINGTIP, ONE FROM THE REAR AND ONE FROM THE END ABOUT 2/3 BACK. WHEN I MOVED THE REAR LOWER PART OF THE WINGTIP THE TRAILING EDGE OPENED UP REVEALING A COMPLETE DELAMINATION OF THE REAR OF THE WINGTIP (APPROX 8 INCHES). MR. Z CONTACTED THE OWNER OF THE ACFT, WHO IMMEDIATELY CAME TO THE ARPT. AFTER A FEW QUESTIONS WERE ASKED THE FACTS OF THE INCIDENT CAME OUT. SOMETIME BTWN OCT/XX/96 AND OCT/YY/96 A MECH TOWED THE ACFT TO ITS PARKING SPACE STRIKING Z. THE OWNER OF THE MAINT SHOP, WITHOUT NOTIFYING EITHER OWNER OR WITHOUT PERMISSION OR AUTH, REMOVED THE SPINNER FROM Z AND BEAT OUT THE DENT. THE SPINNER WAS THEN REINSTALLED ON Z WITHOUT A PROPER RETURN TO SVC ENTRY IN THE ACFT LOGBOOKS. Z HAS BEEN FLOWN DOZENS OF TIMES BY STUDENTS, SOME SOLO AND SOME WITH INSTRUCTORS, WHO ASSUMED THE ACFT WAS LEGAL AND SAFE TO FLY. THE OWNER OF THE ACFT HAS FLOWN HIS AIRPLANE A COUPLE TIMES INCLUDING A TRIP TO XXX. IT IS INCONCEIVABLE TO ME THAT AN A&P MECH COULD BE SO STUPID NOT TO NOTIFY THE OWNER OF THE AIRPLANES INVOLVED AND COULD ALLOW EITHER AIRPLANE TO CONTINUE SVC WITHOUT THE PROPER SIGNOFF IN THE LOGBOOKS. THIS A&P IS NOT A ROOKIE. HE HAS BEEN WORKING ON AIRPLANES FOR 40+ YRS.

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.