Narrative:

The ramp taxi area at sgf had balls of snow, some in excess of 6 inches, that were scattered through a 3-4 inch layer of slush. The snow balls and slush were left over from the snow removal process that had left a 3-4 ft high bank of snow that occupied about 10 ft of the usual taxi area. After making a right turn around the end of the bank of snow the slush and large balls of snow were observed. While attempting to taxi through the area and stay away from both the slush and avoid a possible propeller strike to a snow ball, the left wingtip came in contact with a fuel truck ladder. Approximately 4 inches of the leading edge of the wingtip was pulled across the r-hand leg of the ladder. This contact pushed the leading edge of the wingtip back about 1 inch at the end rib of the wing. The sideways movement of the airplane pulled the ladder leg across the wingtip fairing and broke a 3 inch diameter piece of plastic out of the leading end of the fairing. After moving the C172 back to the tie-down area, I visually inspected the wingtip. After the inspection, I put 3 layers of duct tape over the hole in the plastic fairing with each successive layer extending to the surface of the wing. Extension of the successive layer of tape was done to provide for more adhesion than that provide by the first layer of tape. I then flew the airplane which operated in a normal fashion without any apparent loss of performance. On mar/xa/99 I received a call from an FAA person who gave me the name and telephone number of an inspector and asked me to call the next day. He also informed me that they had received a report concerning the damaged wingtip. On mar/xb/99 I called the inspector at the kansas city, mo, FAA FSDO and was told by that I had been reported as making an unauthorized repair on an aircraft, I asked how he received notification of the incident and he indicated that the airport police had faxed him pictures. He also informed me that I would receive a letter asking for the details of the whole incident. Supplemental information from acn 431153: after a visual inspection of the wingtip damage, I used duct tape to cover a 3 inch diameter hole in the leading end of the plastic wingtip fairing in preparation for flying the airplane to xyz kansas on mar/xa/99. I then flew the airplane which operated in a normal fashion without any apparent loss of performance, with a pilot who had expressed the desire to bring his private pilot's license back to being current. At XA30 I departed springfield branson regional airport. At approximately XA45. Sgf departure called me to ask for my destination and name which I relayed. I got the impression that I was not supposed to be flying the airplane because of the damage and the report. However, I did not receive notification of the reported violation, from the kansas city, mo, FAA FSDO until after I had landed at xyz.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: THE PLT OF A C172 STRUCK A LADDER OF A FUEL TRUCK WITH THE L WINGTIP DAMAGING THE PLASTIC TIP FAIRING.

Narrative: THE RAMP TAXI AREA AT SGF HAD BALLS OF SNOW, SOME IN EXCESS OF 6 INCHES, THAT WERE SCATTERED THROUGH A 3-4 INCH LAYER OF SLUSH. THE SNOW BALLS AND SLUSH WERE LEFT OVER FROM THE SNOW REMOVAL PROCESS THAT HAD LEFT A 3-4 FT HIGH BANK OF SNOW THAT OCCUPIED ABOUT 10 FT OF THE USUAL TAXI AREA. AFTER MAKING A R TURN AROUND THE END OF THE BANK OF SNOW THE SLUSH AND LARGE BALLS OF SNOW WERE OBSERVED. WHILE ATTEMPTING TO TAXI THROUGH THE AREA AND STAY AWAY FROM BOTH THE SLUSH AND AVOID A POSSIBLE PROP STRIKE TO A SNOW BALL, THE L WINGTIP CAME IN CONTACT WITH A FUEL TRUCK LADDER. APPROX 4 INCHES OF THE LEADING EDGE OF THE WINGTIP WAS PULLED ACROSS THE R-HAND LEG OF THE LADDER. THIS CONTACT PUSHED THE LEADING EDGE OF THE WINGTIP BACK ABOUT 1 INCH AT THE END RIB OF THE WING. THE SIDEWAYS MOVEMENT OF THE AIRPLANE PULLED THE LADDER LEG ACROSS THE WINGTIP FAIRING AND BROKE A 3 INCH DIAMETER PIECE OF PLASTIC OUT OF THE LEADING END OF THE FAIRING. AFTER MOVING THE C172 BACK TO THE TIE-DOWN AREA, I VISUALLY INSPECTED THE WINGTIP. AFTER THE INSPECTION, I PUT 3 LAYERS OF DUCT TAPE OVER THE HOLE IN THE PLASTIC FAIRING WITH EACH SUCCESSIVE LAYER EXTENDING TO THE SURFACE OF THE WING. EXTENSION OF THE SUCCESSIVE LAYER OF TAPE WAS DONE TO PROVIDE FOR MORE ADHESION THAN THAT PROVIDE BY THE FIRST LAYER OF TAPE. I THEN FLEW THE AIRPLANE WHICH OPERATED IN A NORMAL FASHION WITHOUT ANY APPARENT LOSS OF PERFORMANCE. ON MAR/XA/99 I RECEIVED A CALL FROM AN FAA PERSON WHO GAVE ME THE NAME AND TELEPHONE NUMBER OF AN INSPECTOR AND ASKED ME TO CALL THE NEXT DAY. HE ALSO INFORMED ME THAT THEY HAD RECEIVED A RPT CONCERNING THE DAMAGED WINGTIP. ON MAR/XB/99 I CALLED THE INSPECTOR AT THE KANSAS CITY, MO, FAA FSDO AND WAS TOLD BY THAT I HAD BEEN RPTED AS MAKING AN UNAUTH REPAIR ON AN ACFT, I ASKED HOW HE RECEIVED NOTIFICATION OF THE INCIDENT AND HE INDICATED THAT THE ARPT POLICE HAD FAXED HIM PICTURES. HE ALSO INFORMED ME THAT I WOULD RECEIVE A LETTER ASKING FOR THE DETAILS OF THE WHOLE INCIDENT. SUPPLEMENTAL INFO FROM ACN 431153: AFTER A VISUAL INSPECTION OF THE WINGTIP DAMAGE, I USED DUCT TAPE TO COVER A 3 INCH DIAMETER HOLE IN THE LEADING END OF THE PLASTIC WINGTIP FAIRING IN PREPARATION FOR FLYING THE AIRPLANE TO XYZ KANSAS ON MAR/XA/99. I THEN FLEW THE AIRPLANE WHICH OPERATED IN A NORMAL FASHION WITHOUT ANY APPARENT LOSS OF PERFORMANCE, WITH A PLT WHO HAD EXPRESSED THE DESIRE TO BRING HIS PVT PLT'S LICENSE BACK TO BEING CURRENT. AT XA30 I DEPARTED SPRINGFIELD BRANSON REGIONAL ARPT. AT APPROX XA45. SGF DEP CALLED ME TO ASK FOR MY DEST AND NAME WHICH I RELAYED. I GOT THE IMPRESSION THAT I WAS NOT SUPPOSED TO BE FLYING THE AIRPLANE BECAUSE OF THE DAMAGE AND THE RPT. HOWEVER, I DID NOT RECEIVE NOTIFICATION OF THE RPTED VIOLATION, FROM THE KANSAS CITY, MO, FAA FSDO UNTIL AFTER I HAD LANDED AT XYZ.

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.