Narrative:

While taxiing a cessna 180 I approached a portion of taxiway that had been changed recently. It used to be an intersection that both cars and airplanes used but has been improved to just aircraft. Stop signs and other automobile traffic signs have been removed and cleared for aircraft, and an aircraft only had been installed. On the outside of a curve in taxiway when approaching, the sign was not seen over the cowling on the aircraft. When a copilot saw the aircraft heading for the sign he warned me to steer right. Due to patches of ice on dry pavement, when the brakes were applied, the right tire braked on dry pavement, causing the plane to loop around 180 degrees. The left wingtip struck AC206 propeller on floats parked along the taxiway. The accident was caused by poor taxiway painting lines, a sharp curve in taxiway, poor location of sign for visibility to tail draggers, icy conditions, and confusing taxiway area. Callback conversation with reporter revealed the following information: reporter states that the parked plane was in a proper tie-down area behind the red line on the edge of the taxiway. The main problem is that there is a hump on the taxiway where the former road was crowned and where it intersects with the taxiway. There are taxiway lines painted up to that point but then the lines stop. For a tail dragger aircraft these lines are very important since the pilot cannot see over the nose of the aircraft. They zig- zag and monitor the lines to determine centerline position. One cannot see the sign at this point in the taxiway, it is too low. Reporter suggestions are to move the sign to a point where it is visible to taxiing traffic including tail draggers, and then remove the hump in the taxiway itself so the nose is not so high that it eliminates any possibility of seeing the sign. The sign itself has been hit since this incident and reporter feels it is a real accident waiting to happen if some change is not made. Other pilots have spoken with airport personnel who said they would check into the situation.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: C180 PLT HS PROB WITH VISIBILITY OF SIGN AND LACK OF TXWY LINES ON TXWY CONVERTED FROM JOINT ROAD TXWY. WINGTIP HITS PARKED ACFT.

Narrative: WHILE TAXIING A CESSNA 180 I APCHED A PORTION OF TXWY THAT HAD BEEN CHANGED RECENTLY. IT USED TO BE AN INTXN THAT BOTH CARS AND AIRPLANES USED BUT HAS BEEN IMPROVED TO JUST ACFT. STOP SIGNS AND OTHER AUTOMOBILE TFC SIGNS HAVE BEEN REMOVED AND CLRED FOR ACFT, AND AN ACFT ONLY HAD BEEN INSTALLED. ON THE OUTSIDE OF A CURVE IN TXWY WHEN APCHING, THE SIGN WAS NOT SEEN OVER THE COWLING ON THE ACFT. WHEN A COPLT SAW THE ACFT HDG FOR THE SIGN HE WARNED ME TO STEER R. DUE TO PATCHES OF ICE ON DRY PAVEMENT, WHEN THE BRAKES WERE APPLIED, THE R TIRE BRAKED ON DRY PAVEMENT, CAUSING THE PLANE TO LOOP AROUND 180 DEGS. THE L WINGTIP STRUCK AC206 PROP ON FLOATS PARKED ALONG THE TXWY. THE ACCIDENT WAS CAUSED BY POOR TXWY PAINTING LINES, A SHARP CURVE IN TXWY, POOR LOCATION OF SIGN FOR VISIBILITY TO TAIL DRAGGERS, ICY CONDITIONS, AND CONFUSING TXWY AREA. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: RPTR STATES THAT THE PARKED PLANE WAS IN A PROPER TIE-DOWN AREA BEHIND THE RED LINE ON THE EDGE OF THE TXWY. THE MAIN PROB IS THAT THERE IS A HUMP ON THE TXWY WHERE THE FORMER ROAD WAS CROWNED AND WHERE IT INTERSECTS WITH THE TXWY. THERE ARE TXWY LINES PAINTED UP TO THAT POINT BUT THEN THE LINES STOP. FOR A TAIL DRAGGER ACFT THESE LINES ARE VERY IMPORTANT SINCE THE PLT CANNOT SEE OVER THE NOSE OF THE ACFT. THEY ZIG- ZAG AND MONITOR THE LINES TO DETERMINE CTRLINE POS. ONE CANNOT SEE THE SIGN AT THIS POINT IN THE TXWY, IT IS TOO LOW. RPTR SUGGESTIONS ARE TO MOVE THE SIGN TO A POINT WHERE IT IS VISIBLE TO TAXIING TFC INCLUDING TAIL DRAGGERS, AND THEN REMOVE THE HUMP IN THE TXWY ITSELF SO THE NOSE IS NOT SO HIGH THAT IT ELIMINATES ANY POSSIBILITY OF SEEING THE SIGN. THE SIGN ITSELF HAS BEEN HIT SINCE THIS INCIDENT AND RPTR FEELS IT IS A REAL ACCIDENT WAITING TO HAPPEN IF SOME CHANGE IS NOT MADE. OTHER PLTS HAVE SPOKEN WITH ARPT PERSONNEL WHO SAID THEY WOULD CHK INTO THE SIT.

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.