Narrative:

Taxiing heading east down the middle of a row of aircraft parked on either side, we passed 2 aircraft, continued to the next set. The leading edge on my left looked clear -- common practice while taxiing through the ramp when all act are parked. It is tight and we must taxi with the end of the wing slightly overlapping the parked aircraft's nose (as was the case today). Everything looked normal. While taxiing past the last aircraft, we felt a slight bump, as if going over an object, which the ramp is covered with (taxi tie-downs, chains, spikes, chocks, and other forms of debris). I maneuvered the aircraft to look back down the row we just left, but could not see anything on the asphalt. After seeing nothing, I went through everything that might have caused what we felt. There was a company pilot on the ramp. I waved him down to check things out (the ramp, my wings, and the last aircraft). He saw nothing unusual. My first officer and I went back to believing we rolled over something and agreed it was nothing and continue to the runway. I continued to think about what happened on the ramp. I wanted to speak to someone on the ground and in charge regarding the ramp area. When we landed, the director of safety was on the ramp, so I went to talk to him. He told me during his preflight that I indeed made contact with his aircraft. Minimal damage was done, a scratch/scuff to the windshield (that was buffed out) and a bent wiper, the aircraft was airworthy. At that time an aircraft mechanic drove up to inspect my aircraft. He found no damage. The aircraft log was signed off reflecting the aircraft airworthiness. The ramp is crowded and no reference lines have been painted on the surface. All separation during this operation of taxi is based on the crew's precipitation as stated before everything looked normal to me. It appeared that the leading edge was clear (which is all I can see from the cockpit) and it was, but the trailing edge was not. The flap hinge (sticks down approximately 8 inches) and that is what made contact with the windshield wiper. I think painted yellow taxi reference line would prevent this. We had them on our old ramp and they were properly measured so aircraft could safely taxi between aircraft as long as they were on the line and parked aircraft were parked on the reference mark, which you could see from the cockpit.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: CAPT OF AN ACR HIGH WING TURBOPROP STRUCK WING TRAILING EDGE ON ANOTHER LIKE PARKED ACFT WINDSHIELD WIPER DURING RAMP TAXI BTWN 2 ROWS OF ACFT. THE RAMP AREA WAS UNCTLED AND DID NOT HAVE A YELLOW CTRLINE FOR GUIDANCE. THERE WAS MINOR DAMAGE TO THE WINDSHIELD WHEN THE WIPER WAS BENT WHEN STRUCK BY THE WING OF THE OTHER ACFT.

Narrative: TAXIING HDG E DOWN THE MIDDLE OF A ROW OF ACFT PARKED ON EITHER SIDE, WE PASSED 2 ACFT, CONTINUED TO THE NEXT SET. THE LEADING EDGE ON MY L LOOKED CLR -- COMMON PRACTICE WHILE TAXIING THROUGH THE RAMP WHEN ALL ACT ARE PARKED. IT IS TIGHT AND WE MUST TAXI WITH THE END OF THE WING SLIGHTLY OVERLAPPING THE PARKED ACFT'S NOSE (AS WAS THE CASE TODAY). EVERYTHING LOOKED NORMAL. WHILE TAXIING PAST THE LAST ACFT, WE FELT A SLIGHT BUMP, AS IF GOING OVER AN OBJECT, WHICH THE RAMP IS COVERED WITH (TAXI TIE-DOWNS, CHAINS, SPIKES, CHOCKS, AND OTHER FORMS OF DEBRIS). I MANEUVERED THE ACFT TO LOOK BACK DOWN THE ROW WE JUST LEFT, BUT COULD NOT SEE ANYTHING ON THE ASPHALT. AFTER SEEING NOTHING, I WENT THROUGH EVERYTHING THAT MIGHT HAVE CAUSED WHAT WE FELT. THERE WAS A COMPANY PLT ON THE RAMP. I WAVED HIM DOWN TO CHK THINGS OUT (THE RAMP, MY WINGS, AND THE LAST ACFT). HE SAW NOTHING UNUSUAL. MY FO AND I WENT BACK TO BELIEVING WE ROLLED OVER SOMETHING AND AGREED IT WAS NOTHING AND CONTINUE TO THE RWY. I CONTINUED TO THINK ABOUT WHAT HAPPENED ON THE RAMP. I WANTED TO SPEAK TO SOMEONE ON THE GND AND IN CHARGE REGARDING THE RAMP AREA. WHEN WE LANDED, THE DIRECTOR OF SAFETY WAS ON THE RAMP, SO I WENT TO TALK TO HIM. HE TOLD ME DURING HIS PREFLT THAT I INDEED MADE CONTACT WITH HIS ACFT. MINIMAL DAMAGE WAS DONE, A SCRATCH/SCUFF TO THE WINDSHIELD (THAT WAS BUFFED OUT) AND A BENT WIPER, THE ACFT WAS AIRWORTHY. AT THAT TIME AN ACFT MECH DROVE UP TO INSPECT MY ACFT. HE FOUND NO DAMAGE. THE ACFT LOG WAS SIGNED OFF REFLECTING THE ACFT AIRWORTHINESS. THE RAMP IS CROWDED AND NO REF LINES HAVE BEEN PAINTED ON THE SURFACE. ALL SEPARATION DURING THIS OP OF TAXI IS BASED ON THE CREW'S PRECIPITATION AS STATED BEFORE EVERYTHING LOOKED NORMAL TO ME. IT APPEARED THAT THE LEADING EDGE WAS CLR (WHICH IS ALL I CAN SEE FROM THE COCKPIT) AND IT WAS, BUT THE TRAILING EDGE WAS NOT. THE FLAP HINGE (STICKS DOWN APPROX 8 INCHES) AND THAT IS WHAT MADE CONTACT WITH THE WINDSHIELD WIPER. I THINK PAINTED YELLOW TAXI REF LINE WOULD PREVENT THIS. WE HAD THEM ON OUR OLD RAMP AND THEY WERE PROPERLY MEASURED SO ACFT COULD SAFELY TAXI BTWN ACFT AS LONG AS THEY WERE ON THE LINE AND PARKED ACFT WERE PARKED ON THE REF MARK, WHICH YOU COULD SEE FROM THE COCKPIT.

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.