Narrative:

I was preparing to depart the twin falls, identification, airport as commercial flight. I was flying an aeronautical commander 500B. I loaded the airplane in my hangar so that it wouldn't get an accumulation of snow on it. After the plane was half loaded I called ground control to make sure there was no flow control into slc and that the WX in twin falls was above minimums. I do not recall what the ceiling was, but they were calling the visibility 1/2 mi, which is what I need for takeoff per my operations specifications. The airplane was pushed out by myself and 2 others. As I removed the tow bar from the nose, a line guy from flying service got there. I asked him to put the tow bar away for me and close the hangar door so I could get going before the snow started to accumulate. I started the engines and began to taxi out of the hangar area. Because my hangar is unheated, the plane was cold soaked so any snow that I did get on the plane would blow off during taxi. Once on the taxiway I called ground for my clearance to slc. The ground controller gave me the WX. The visibility was still above 1/2 mi so I continued to taxi. After receiving the WX and being told that my clearance was on request, the ground controller advised me that an air carrier brasilia had just returned to the gate because the snow was accumulating too fast. I told him that I would taxi out and then look at it to see what I wanted to do. The controller told me to contact tower for a clearance to back-taxi on runway 7. I felt that, my plane coming out of a cold hangar and being ready to go, when I got to the end of the runway I would be clean and free of any contamination and ready to go. I was taxiing out and behind the row of planes that were parked on the ramp in front of the FBO. There were no lines visible to indicate where the taxiway was, so I was using the buildings on my left as a guide. The row of planes was full up to the south end where a challenger was parked. I was aware of this because I was looking at that specific aircraft earlier, and also due to the fact that the plane still had its APU running, it had its lights on. As I approached the terminal, I was able to see a snow plow on my left because of the yellow light on top of it. I am not sure if the plow was moving or not, I just saw the light. When I was taxiing out, I did see the challenger that was parked next to the ce-402 but I did not see the 402. I was clear of the challenger so I began a small right turn to avoid the snow plow. At the same time that I was turning to the right I was also trying to change the radio frequency from 121.7 (ground) to 118.2 (tower). I was told to change frequencys so that I could obtain back-taxi clearance instructions for runway 7. Twin falls does not have a lighted taxiway so the runway was the best way for me to taxi because it would give me lateral guidance. When I stopped and looked out the right window I saw that I had come into contact with the 402. I immediately shut down both engines and jumped out to make sure that the 402 pilot was not in the airplane. He was not in the plane. I got back in my plane and advised tower that neither airplane would be departing, that there had just been a collision on the ground between myself and the 402. I immediately advised my company of the incident. I also talked to the tower controller and he advised me that there would have to be a report filed with the FAA and that he would take care of it. At the time of the incident I had a clean airplane and the WX was above takeoff minimums. The 402 was a white airplane in a very heavy snow shower. I feel that the 402 was not parked in a legitimate parking place. I have never seen any other planes parked in that spot. After going back out after the snow had melted and comparing the site to the picture I took after the incident, it appears that the plane is about 10 ft too far back. There are no T's to indicate a parking space anywhere within 20 ft of where the 402 was parked. However, 402 pilot did not have any other option on where to park as he could not see either and he was aware of where the challenger was parked and did not want to come too close to it. As I later found out,402 had been deiced and taxied out. He did his contamination check and returned to the FBO because of excessive accumulation. He had to be led off the runway by a snow plow because of limited visibility due to the heavy snow. I understand that the ground controller admitted that he couldn't see the plow or either runway. The incident happened 1/8 of a mi from the tower and they were calling the visibility 1/2 mi. At the time there was 1 controller as there are at most times in twin falls working ground, tower, and departure. I think having another person up there would have helped and also having more accurate WX reporting.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: SMT TAXIING IN FALLING SNOW HAS WINGTIP HIT PARKED ACFT.

Narrative: I WAS PREPARING TO DEPART THE TWIN FALLS, ID, ARPT AS COMMERCIAL FLT. I WAS FLYING AN AERO COMMANDER 500B. I LOADED THE AIRPLANE IN MY HANGAR SO THAT IT WOULDN'T GET AN ACCUMULATION OF SNOW ON IT. AFTER THE PLANE WAS HALF LOADED I CALLED GND CTL TO MAKE SURE THERE WAS NO FLOW CTL INTO SLC AND THAT THE WX IN TWIN FALLS WAS ABOVE MINIMUMS. I DO NOT RECALL WHAT THE CEILING WAS, BUT THEY WERE CALLING THE VISIBILITY 1/2 MI, WHICH IS WHAT I NEED FOR TKOF PER MY OPS SPECS. THE AIRPLANE WAS PUSHED OUT BY MYSELF AND 2 OTHERS. AS I REMOVED THE TOW BAR FROM THE NOSE, A LINE GUY FROM FLYING SVC GOT THERE. I ASKED HIM TO PUT THE TOW BAR AWAY FOR ME AND CLOSE THE HANGAR DOOR SO I COULD GET GOING BEFORE THE SNOW STARTED TO ACCUMULATE. I STARTED THE ENGS AND BEGAN TO TAXI OUT OF THE HANGAR AREA. BECAUSE MY HANGAR IS UNHEATED, THE PLANE WAS COLD SOAKED SO ANY SNOW THAT I DID GET ON THE PLANE WOULD BLOW OFF DURING TAXI. ONCE ON THE TXWY I CALLED GND FOR MY CLRNC TO SLC. THE GND CTLR GAVE ME THE WX. THE VISIBILITY WAS STILL ABOVE 1/2 MI SO I CONTINUED TO TAXI. AFTER RECEIVING THE WX AND BEING TOLD THAT MY CLRNC WAS ON REQUEST, THE GND CTLR ADVISED ME THAT AN ACR BRASILIA HAD JUST RETURNED TO THE GATE BECAUSE THE SNOW WAS ACCUMULATING TOO FAST. I TOLD HIM THAT I WOULD TAXI OUT AND THEN LOOK AT IT TO SEE WHAT I WANTED TO DO. THE CTLR TOLD ME TO CONTACT TWR FOR A CLRNC TO BACK-TAXI ON RWY 7. I FELT THAT, MY PLANE COMING OUT OF A COLD HANGAR AND BEING READY TO GO, WHEN I GOT TO THE END OF THE RWY I WOULD BE CLEAN AND FREE OF ANY CONTAMINATION AND READY TO GO. I WAS TAXIING OUT AND BEHIND THE ROW OF PLANES THAT WERE PARKED ON THE RAMP IN FRONT OF THE FBO. THERE WERE NO LINES VISIBLE TO INDICATE WHERE THE TXWY WAS, SO I WAS USING THE BUILDINGS ON MY L AS A GUIDE. THE ROW OF PLANES WAS FULL UP TO THE S END WHERE A CHALLENGER WAS PARKED. I WAS AWARE OF THIS BECAUSE I WAS LOOKING AT THAT SPECIFIC ACFT EARLIER, AND ALSO DUE TO THE FACT THAT THE PLANE STILL HAD ITS APU RUNNING, IT HAD ITS LIGHTS ON. AS I APCHED THE TERMINAL, I WAS ABLE TO SEE A SNOW PLOW ON MY L BECAUSE OF THE YELLOW LIGHT ON TOP OF IT. I AM NOT SURE IF THE PLOW WAS MOVING OR NOT, I JUST SAW THE LIGHT. WHEN I WAS TAXIING OUT, I DID SEE THE CHALLENGER THAT WAS PARKED NEXT TO THE CE-402 BUT I DID NOT SEE THE 402. I WAS CLR OF THE CHALLENGER SO I BEGAN A SMALL R TURN TO AVOID THE SNOW PLOW. AT THE SAME TIME THAT I WAS TURNING TO THE R I WAS ALSO TRYING TO CHANGE THE RADIO FREQ FROM 121.7 (GND) TO 118.2 (TWR). I WAS TOLD TO CHANGE FREQS SO THAT I COULD OBTAIN BACK-TAXI CLRNC INSTRUCTIONS FOR RWY 7. TWIN FALLS DOES NOT HAVE A LIGHTED TXWY SO THE RWY WAS THE BEST WAY FOR ME TO TAXI BECAUSE IT WOULD GIVE ME LATERAL GUIDANCE. WHEN I STOPPED AND LOOKED OUT THE R WINDOW I SAW THAT I HAD COME INTO CONTACT WITH THE 402. I IMMEDIATELY SHUT DOWN BOTH ENGS AND JUMPED OUT TO MAKE SURE THAT THE 402 PLT WAS NOT IN THE AIRPLANE. HE WAS NOT IN THE PLANE. I GOT BACK IN MY PLANE AND ADVISED TWR THAT NEITHER AIRPLANE WOULD BE DEPARTING, THAT THERE HAD JUST BEEN A COLLISION ON THE GND BTWN MYSELF AND THE 402. I IMMEDIATELY ADVISED MY COMPANY OF THE INCIDENT. I ALSO TALKED TO THE TWR CTLR AND HE ADVISED ME THAT THERE WOULD HAVE TO BE A RPT FILED WITH THE FAA AND THAT HE WOULD TAKE CARE OF IT. AT THE TIME OF THE INCIDENT I HAD A CLEAN AIRPLANE AND THE WX WAS ABOVE TKOF MINIMUMS. THE 402 WAS A WHITE AIRPLANE IN A VERY HVY SNOW SHOWER. I FEEL THAT THE 402 WAS NOT PARKED IN A LEGITIMATE PARKING PLACE. I HAVE NEVER SEEN ANY OTHER PLANES PARKED IN THAT SPOT. AFTER GOING BACK OUT AFTER THE SNOW HAD MELTED AND COMPARING THE SITE TO THE PICTURE I TOOK AFTER THE INCIDENT, IT APPEARS THAT THE PLANE IS ABOUT 10 FT TOO FAR BACK. THERE ARE NO T'S TO INDICATE A PARKING SPACE ANYWHERE WITHIN 20 FT OF WHERE THE 402 WAS PARKED. HOWEVER, 402 PLT DID NOT HAVE ANY OTHER OPTION ON WHERE TO PARK AS HE COULD NOT SEE EITHER AND HE WAS AWARE OF WHERE THE CHALLENGER WAS PARKED AND DID NOT WANT TO COME TOO CLOSE TO IT. AS I LATER FOUND OUT,402 HAD BEEN DEICED AND TAXIED OUT. HE DID HIS CONTAMINATION CHK AND RETURNED TO THE FBO BECAUSE OF EXCESSIVE ACCUMULATION. HE HAD TO BE LED OFF THE RWY BY A SNOW PLOW BECAUSE OF LIMITED VISIBILITY DUE TO THE HVY SNOW. I UNDERSTAND THAT THE GND CTLR ADMITTED THAT HE COULDN'T SEE THE PLOW OR EITHER RWY. THE INCIDENT HAPPENED 1/8 OF A MI FROM THE TWR AND THEY WERE CALLING THE VISIBILITY 1/2 MI. AT THE TIME THERE WAS 1 CTLR AS THERE ARE AT MOST TIMES IN TWIN FALLS WORKING GND, TWR, AND DEP. I THINK HAVING ANOTHER PERSON UP THERE WOULD HAVE HELPED AND ALSO HAVING MORE ACCURATE WX RPTING.

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.