Narrative:

I landed my C182 on runway 21; at ZZZ. Exiting at the second turn off I taxied toward the fuel farm tie down area opposite the restaurant on the field. I entered into the first tie down area in error. On discovery that I wanted the next tie down area; I taxied out of the first tie down area. Due to the presence of tall (24 inch) taxiway lights on the starboard side; this required an exit angle of 90 degrees. As I was making way for the taxi centerline and was making the turn to the centerline; the wind increased to approximately 24 KTS as a front was approaching. This wind was precisely at my back and caused and un-commanded acceleration at the time I was turning to the centerline. This caused a minor overshoot of the intended track. As I was initiating simultaneous braking and turning actions; the strobe light shield located on the underside of my port side wing glanced over the upper portion of the port side wing of a king air that was parked almost directly across from my point of exit from the tie down area. The point of contact was approximately 6 inches inboard of the king air's wingtip starting just above the mean chord of the wing at the de-ice boot and continuing at approximately 45 degrees toward the trailing edge of the outboard section of the wingtip. The lateral measurement of the contact was about 18 inches; ceasing at the point where the camber of the king air's wing caused its surface to be below the height of the underside of my strobe light shield. Damage was limited to a partial scoring in the de-ice boot at the initial point of contact (it was not cut through); scratching of the paint and slight deformation of the upper skin at the points of contact. The plastic strobe light shield on king air was also broken. There was no damage whatsoever to C182 other than the bending of the strobe light shield. The same was reformed by hand to its original condition. There was no damage to any control surface on either aircraft and there was no reason to believe that either aircraft was rendered unairworthy as a result of this contact. Recent marking changes at this airport have without doubt contributed to this incident and I am firmly convinced that after watching the actions of other pilots while taxiing agree that these recent changes are not only improper; they have rendered this airport unsafe; especially during night operations. The taxiway on which this incident occurred was originally a runway that was approximately 75 ft wide; allowing better than 37 ft of clearance to either side of the centerline. Since it has been remarked; the area to either side of the centerline has been reduced to approximately 24 ft. To compound this shortening of the width; the new markings allow hangar owners to park aircraft to the new limits of the redefined areas that encroach into the original taxiway's real estate by more than twelve feet. The location of this king air's wing was approximately 24 ft from the centerline of the taxiway. Given that the wingspan of a C182 is slightly more than 36 ft; that puts the wingtip of the C182 mere six feet away from the wingtip of the parked aircraft when exactly on the centerline of the taxiway. Given the n-s orientation of the taxiway and the normally strong westerly winds; this can become a potentially fatal combination.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: C182 EXITING RAMP AREA WITH TAILING WIND SWINGS WIDE ON TXWY. CESSNA WINGTIP STRIKES WINGTIP OF KING AIR PARKED ADJACENT TO TXWY.

Narrative: I LANDED MY C182 ON RWY 21; AT ZZZ. EXITING AT THE SECOND TURN OFF I TAXIED TOWARD THE FUEL FARM TIE DOWN AREA OPPOSITE THE RESTAURANT ON THE FIELD. I ENTERED INTO THE FIRST TIE DOWN AREA IN ERROR. ON DISCOVERY THAT I WANTED THE NEXT TIE DOWN AREA; I TAXIED OUT OF THE FIRST TIE DOWN AREA. DUE TO THE PRESENCE OF TALL (24 INCH) TXWY LIGHTS ON THE STARBOARD SIDE; THIS REQUIRED AN EXIT ANGLE OF 90 DEGS. AS I WAS MAKING WAY FOR THE TAXI CTRLINE AND WAS MAKING THE TURN TO THE CTRLINE; THE WIND INCREASED TO APPROX 24 KTS AS A FRONT WAS APCHING. THIS WIND WAS PRECISELY AT MY BACK AND CAUSED AND UN-COMMANDED ACCELERATION AT THE TIME I WAS TURNING TO THE CTRLINE. THIS CAUSED A MINOR OVERSHOOT OF THE INTENDED TRACK. AS I WAS INITIATING SIMULTANEOUS BRAKING AND TURNING ACTIONS; THE STROBE LIGHT SHIELD LOCATED ON THE UNDERSIDE OF MY PORT SIDE WING GLANCED OVER THE UPPER PORTION OF THE PORT SIDE WING OF A KING AIR THAT WAS PARKED ALMOST DIRECTLY ACROSS FROM MY POINT OF EXIT FROM THE TIE DOWN AREA. THE POINT OF CONTACT WAS APPROX 6 INCHES INBOARD OF THE KING AIR'S WINGTIP STARTING JUST ABOVE THE MEAN CHORD OF THE WING AT THE DE-ICE BOOT AND CONTINUING AT APPROX 45 DEGS TOWARD THE TRAILING EDGE OF THE OUTBOARD SECTION OF THE WINGTIP. THE LATERAL MEASUREMENT OF THE CONTACT WAS ABOUT 18 INCHES; CEASING AT THE POINT WHERE THE CAMBER OF THE KING AIR'S WING CAUSED ITS SURFACE TO BE BELOW THE HEIGHT OF THE UNDERSIDE OF MY STROBE LIGHT SHIELD. DAMAGE WAS LIMITED TO A PARTIAL SCORING IN THE DE-ICE BOOT AT THE INITIAL POINT OF CONTACT (IT WAS NOT CUT THROUGH); SCRATCHING OF THE PAINT AND SLIGHT DEFORMATION OF THE UPPER SKIN AT THE POINTS OF CONTACT. THE PLASTIC STROBE LIGHT SHIELD ON KING AIR WAS ALSO BROKEN. THERE WAS NO DAMAGE WHATSOEVER TO C182 OTHER THAN THE BENDING OF THE STROBE LIGHT SHIELD. THE SAME WAS REFORMED BY HAND TO ITS ORIGINAL CONDITION. THERE WAS NO DAMAGE TO ANY CTL SURFACE ON EITHER ACFT AND THERE WAS NO REASON TO BELIEVE THAT EITHER ACFT WAS RENDERED UNAIRWORTHY AS A RESULT OF THIS CONTACT. RECENT MARKING CHANGES AT THIS ARPT HAVE WITHOUT DOUBT CONTRIBUTED TO THIS INCIDENT AND I AM FIRMLY CONVINCED THAT AFTER WATCHING THE ACTIONS OF OTHER PLTS WHILE TAXIING AGREE THAT THESE RECENT CHANGES ARE NOT ONLY IMPROPER; THEY HAVE RENDERED THIS ARPT UNSAFE; ESPECIALLY DURING NIGHT OPS. THE TXWY ON WHICH THIS INCIDENT OCCURRED WAS ORIGINALLY A RWY THAT WAS APPROX 75 FT WIDE; ALLOWING BETTER THAN 37 FT OF CLRNC TO EITHER SIDE OF THE CTRLINE. SINCE IT HAS BEEN REMARKED; THE AREA TO EITHER SIDE OF THE CTRLINE HAS BEEN REDUCED TO APPROX 24 FT. TO COMPOUND THIS SHORTENING OF THE WIDTH; THE NEW MARKINGS ALLOW HANGAR OWNERS TO PARK ACFT TO THE NEW LIMITS OF THE REDEFINED AREAS THAT ENCROACH INTO THE ORIGINAL TXWY'S REAL ESTATE BY MORE THAN TWELVE FEET. THE LOCATION OF THIS KING AIR'S WING WAS APPROX 24 FT FROM THE CTRLINE OF THE TXWY. GIVEN THAT THE WINGSPAN OF A C182 IS SLIGHTLY MORE THAN 36 FT; THAT PUTS THE WINGTIP OF THE C182 MERE SIX FEET AWAY FROM THE WINGTIP OF THE PARKED ACFT WHEN EXACTLY ON THE CTRLINE OF THE TXWY. GIVEN THE N-S ORIENTATION OF THE TXWY AND THE NORMALLY STRONG WESTERLY WINDS; THIS CAN BECOME A POTENTIALLY FATAL COMBINATION.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of January 2009 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.