Narrative:

Before arriving at gcn, I called our operations to report 15 mins out on flight. Company ground personnel, a pilot, answered and I asked him if there would be enough room on the line for myself and small aircraft, and the preceding small aircraft Y to park on our line. He replied that there was, and that one of us should park between 2 small transport's and the other should park on the very end. When I arrived the only place available was on the end. It was a tight parking spot. I asked the assistant chief pilot if parking on the end was indeed all right, and he replied that if the aircraft was inside the red line and if all aircraft were in a line, our company would not get into trouble with the airport manager. The PF and I looked at the parking and determined that it was within the red line. When it was time to leave on flight, I was ready to leave 20 mins early. I was pleased that I was ahead of schedule and was not rushing. I called gcn ground and received clearance to taxi. I looked back at the rear outside of the aircraft before I started to pull out of my parking spot. I knew the parking was tight and was making an effort to be careful. There was an aircraft parked directly ahead of me on the next line. Also being on the end of the line, I was right next to the taxiway and had little room to turn and straighten the aircraft onto the taxiway. While I was pulling out straight ahead, I looked back again over my left shoulder to see if I was clear. It was difficult to see the distance between the rear of my aircraft and the adjacent small transport, and as I had no other visibility cues (lineman, parking lines), I had to make my own judgement based on what I could see. It looked as if the aircraft were clear of each other, so I could begin a right turn onto the taxiway. Since I was trying to avoid the aircraft parked in front of me, I started my turn nd struck the small transport parking on my left with my left horizontal stabilizer/elevator. I heard a crunch and turned the aircraft 180 degrees and stopped. I had been going no faster than 5 mph, if that much. I shut down the aircraft where it was and secured it. I led my passenger to the group of passenger that a company ground personnel was taking back into the gate area. When they were safely with her and her group. I went back to the aircraft and reparked it alongside the small transport that had been struck. (If I hadn't, I would have blocked another company from pulling out of their line behind ours.) I was on th ramp the whole time. No one was injured. I was acting with reasonable caution. I tried to make a determination based on what I could see from the pilot's window since there are no linemen or parking lines to help with that distance judgement. I misjudged the distance and struck the company small transport. It was not intentional. I was told by a company mechanic that the damage to the small transport was cosmetic. I know my small aircraft has to have the left elevator replaced and that there is possible spar damage. It could have been prevented with more parking, a lineman or by not having the pilot's work 14-16 hour days 6 days/week. Callback conversation with reporter revealed the following: aerial tour aircraft parked in a very tight parking area. Pilot attempts to get aircraft out of parking area while loaded with passenger for tour and misjudges distance from neighboring company aircraft and strikes the other aircraft, causing superficial damage. Aircraft X however had more damage to tail assembly. Reporter cited restr areas for parking and fatigue because of working 14-16 hours/day, 6 days/week. Aircraft was shut down and passenger deplaned.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: TAIL STRIKE UPON TAXIING OUT OF PARKING AREA. ADJACENT ACFT HIT.

Narrative: BEFORE ARRIVING AT GCN, I CALLED OUR OPS TO RPT 15 MINS OUT ON FLT. CGP, A PLT, ANSWERED AND I ASKED HIM IF THERE WOULD BE ENOUGH ROOM ON THE LINE FOR MYSELF AND SMA, AND THE PRECEDING SMA Y TO PARK ON OUR LINE. HE REPLIED THAT THERE WAS, AND THAT ONE OF US SHOULD PARK BTWN 2 SMT'S AND THE OTHER SHOULD PARK ON THE VERY END. WHEN I ARRIVED THE ONLY PLACE AVAILABLE WAS ON THE END. IT WAS A TIGHT PARKING SPOT. I ASKED THE ASSISTANT CHIEF PLT IF PARKING ON THE END WAS INDEED ALL RIGHT, AND HE REPLIED THAT IF THE ACFT WAS INSIDE THE RED LINE AND IF ALL ACFT WERE IN A LINE, OUR COMPANY WOULD NOT GET INTO TROUBLE WITH THE ARPT MGR. THE PF AND I LOOKED AT THE PARKING AND DETERMINED THAT IT WAS WITHIN THE RED LINE. WHEN IT WAS TIME TO LEAVE ON FLT, I WAS READY TO LEAVE 20 MINS EARLY. I WAS PLEASED THAT I WAS AHEAD OF SCHEDULE AND WAS NOT RUSHING. I CALLED GCN GND AND RECEIVED CLRNC TO TAXI. I LOOKED BACK AT THE REAR OUTSIDE OF THE ACFT BEFORE I STARTED TO PULL OUT OF MY PARKING SPOT. I KNEW THE PARKING WAS TIGHT AND WAS MAKING AN EFFORT TO BE CAREFUL. THERE WAS AN ACFT PARKED DIRECTLY AHEAD OF ME ON THE NEXT LINE. ALSO BEING ON THE END OF THE LINE, I WAS RIGHT NEXT TO THE TXWY AND HAD LITTLE ROOM TO TURN AND STRAIGHTEN THE ACFT ONTO THE TXWY. WHILE I WAS PULLING OUT STRAIGHT AHEAD, I LOOKED BACK AGAIN OVER MY LEFT SHOULDER TO SEE IF I WAS CLR. IT WAS DIFFICULT TO SEE THE DISTANCE BTWN THE REAR OF MY ACFT AND THE ADJACENT SMT, AND AS I HAD NO OTHER VIS CUES (LINEMAN, PARKING LINES), I HAD TO MAKE MY OWN JUDGEMENT BASED ON WHAT I COULD SEE. IT LOOKED AS IF THE ACFT WERE CLR OF EACH OTHER, SO I COULD BEGIN A RIGHT TURN ONTO THE TXWY. SINCE I WAS TRYING TO AVOID THE ACFT PARKED IN FRONT OF ME, I STARTED MY TURN ND STRUCK THE SMT PARKING ON MY LEFT WITH MY LEFT HORIZ STABILIZER/ELEVATOR. I HEARD A CRUNCH AND TURNED THE ACFT 180 DEGS AND STOPPED. I HAD BEEN GOING NO FASTER THAN 5 MPH, IF THAT MUCH. I SHUT DOWN THE ACFT WHERE IT WAS AND SECURED IT. I LED MY PAX TO THE GROUP OF PAX THAT A CGP WAS TAKING BACK INTO THE GATE AREA. WHEN THEY WERE SAFELY WITH HER AND HER GROUP. I WENT BACK TO THE ACFT AND REPARKED IT ALONGSIDE THE SMT THAT HAD BEEN STRUCK. (IF I HADN'T, I WOULD HAVE BLOCKED ANOTHER COMPANY FROM PULLING OUT OF THEIR LINE BEHIND OURS.) I WAS ON TH RAMP THE WHOLE TIME. NO ONE WAS INJURED. I WAS ACTING WITH REASONABLE CAUTION. I TRIED TO MAKE A DETERMINATION BASED ON WHAT I COULD SEE FROM THE PLT'S WINDOW SINCE THERE ARE NO LINEMEN OR PARKING LINES TO HELP WITH THAT DISTANCE JUDGEMENT. I MISJUDGED THE DISTANCE AND STRUCK THE COMPANY SMT. IT WAS NOT INTENTIONAL. I WAS TOLD BY A COMPANY MECH THAT THE DAMAGE TO THE SMT WAS COSMETIC. I KNOW MY SMA HAS TO HAVE THE LEFT ELEVATOR REPLACED AND THAT THERE IS POSSIBLE SPAR DAMAGE. IT COULD HAVE BEEN PREVENTED WITH MORE PARKING, A LINEMAN OR BY NOT HAVING THE PLT'S WORK 14-16 HR DAYS 6 DAYS/WK. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING: AERIAL TOUR ACFT PARKED IN A VERY TIGHT PARKING AREA. PLT ATTEMPTS TO GET ACFT OUT OF PARKING AREA WHILE LOADED WITH PAX FOR TOUR AND MISJUDGES DISTANCE FROM NEIGHBORING COMPANY ACFT AND STRIKES THE OTHER ACFT, CAUSING SUPERFICIAL DAMAGE. ACFT X HOWEVER HAD MORE DAMAGE TO TAIL ASSEMBLY. RPTR CITED RESTR AREAS FOR PARKING AND FATIGUE BECAUSE OF WORKING 14-16 HRS/DAY, 6 DAYS/WK. ACFT WAS SHUT DOWN AND PAX DEPLANED.

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.