Narrative:

A student pilot and I were taxiing an small aircraft X back to the parking area at the end of our flight. The taxi (ramp) area was icy in spots and snow covered in others, however, the conditions were not such to prevent a student pilot from taxiing the aircraft into the tiedown area designated to our flying club. The taxi lane to this particular tiedown area is approximately 45 ft wide with a centerline painted in the middle. The airport authority has a policy of plowing snow into the center of this 45 ft wide taxi lane. After the last snowfall, the snow as plowed well off-center of the middle of the taxi lane so that 1 side was approximately 5 ft narrower than the other. The snow pile on this morning was approximately 5 ft wide and 2 ft high. My student and I were on the narrow side of the taxi lane because our tiedown slot was situated there. The airport authority has repeatedly created a hazardous situation by plowing snow to the center of the taxi lanes rather than clear of active areas. On the morning of this occurrence, the poor conditions were exacerbated by the fact that the pile of snow as approximately 5 ft off-center. My student and I traveled approximately 175 ft past 4 other small aircraft without being unsafely close to those aircraft. As we were taxiing closer to our tiedown slot, another instructor was standing in the tiedown area preflting an small aircraft Y, a much larger aircraft than the small aircraft Z we had already passed. The propeller blade of the small aircraft Y was tilted in an upward position rather than horizontal (parallel to the ground). I noticed that the blade of the larger aircraft could possibly come into contact with the wingtip of our aircraft due to the close quarters created by the off-center snow pile, therefore, I instructed my student to stop immediately. As he applied the brakes, the plane slid forward and to the right on an icy spot. As a result of not being able to stop in a short enough distance due to the ice and the tight quarters, the small aircraft Y propeller blade caught the underside of our right wingtip and cut into the wingtip skin causing an opening approximately 6 inches long.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: INSTRUCTOR WITH SPI HAS WINGTIP HIT PROP OF PARKED PLANE AS THEY SKID ON ICE TRYING TO STOP ACFT.

Narrative: A STUDENT PLT AND I WERE TAXIING AN SMA X BACK TO THE PARKING AREA AT THE END OF OUR FLT. THE TAXI (RAMP) AREA WAS ICY IN SPOTS AND SNOW COVERED IN OTHERS, HOWEVER, THE CONDITIONS WERE NOT SUCH TO PREVENT A STUDENT PLT FROM TAXIING THE ACFT INTO THE TIEDOWN AREA DESIGNATED TO OUR FLYING CLUB. THE TAXI LANE TO THIS PARTICULAR TIEDOWN AREA IS APPROX 45 FT WIDE WITH A CTRLINE PAINTED IN THE MIDDLE. THE ARPT AUTHORITY HAS A POLICY OF PLOWING SNOW INTO THE CTR OF THIS 45 FT WIDE TAXI LANE. AFTER THE LAST SNOWFALL, THE SNOW AS PLOWED WELL OFF-CTR OF THE MIDDLE OF THE TAXI LANE SO THAT 1 SIDE WAS APPROX 5 FT NARROWER THAN THE OTHER. THE SNOW PILE ON THIS MORNING WAS APPROX 5 FT WIDE AND 2 FT HIGH. MY STUDENT AND I WERE ON THE NARROW SIDE OF THE TAXI LANE BECAUSE OUR TIEDOWN SLOT WAS SITUATED THERE. THE ARPT AUTHORITY HAS REPEATEDLY CREATED A HAZARDOUS SIT BY PLOWING SNOW TO THE CTR OF THE TAXI LANES RATHER THAN CLR OF ACTIVE AREAS. ON THE MORNING OF THIS OCCURRENCE, THE POOR CONDITIONS WERE EXACERBATED BY THE FACT THAT THE PILE OF SNOW AS APPROX 5 FT OFF-CTR. MY STUDENT AND I TRAVELED APPROX 175 FT PAST 4 OTHER SMALL ACFT WITHOUT BEING UNSAFELY CLOSE TO THOSE ACFT. AS WE WERE TAXIING CLOSER TO OUR TIEDOWN SLOT, ANOTHER INSTRUCTOR WAS STANDING IN THE TIEDOWN AREA PREFLTING AN SMA Y, A MUCH LARGER ACFT THAN THE SMA Z WE HAD ALREADY PASSED. THE PROP BLADE OF THE SMA Y WAS TILTED IN AN UPWARD POS RATHER THAN HORIZ (PARALLEL TO THE GND). I NOTICED THAT THE BLADE OF THE LARGER ACFT COULD POSSIBLY COME INTO CONTACT WITH THE WINGTIP OF OUR ACFT DUE TO THE CLOSE QUARTERS CREATED BY THE OFF-CTR SNOW PILE, THEREFORE, I INSTRUCTED MY STUDENT TO STOP IMMEDIATELY. AS HE APPLIED THE BRAKES, THE PLANE SLID FORWARD AND TO THE R ON AN ICY SPOT. AS A RESULT OF NOT BEING ABLE TO STOP IN A SHORT ENOUGH DISTANCE DUE TO THE ICE AND THE TIGHT QUARTERS, THE SMA Y PROP BLADE CAUGHT THE UNDERSIDE OF OUR R WINGTIP AND CUT INTO THE WINGTIP SKIN CAUSING AN OPENING APPROX 6 INCHES LONG.

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.