Narrative:

Overview: aircraft services ramp at ict. An intended ground check of the engine resulted in the propeller of the bonanza V35A clipping and damaging the left tip tank, aileron and wing skin of a transient cessna 421 parked near. The bonanza path during the incident is shown in the diagram below. Actions prior to incident: my intention was to look over the bonanza before flying it to the jacksonville, il, airport (ijx) for the owner after picking it up from FBO at ict. Sequence of events in the incident. The following sequence of events occurred (listed in order): 1) using the pilot side headphone jacks I called ground control for a radio check on each of the 2 communication radios. Both were satisfactory. After I similarly checked the center headphone position I noticed that the copilot side headset jacks had not been installed. I elected to also verify that the engine would start properly, again in order to depart on time for a daylight duration flight. 2) I was in the left seat and used the checklist to go through the pre-engine start procedure. My feet were on the rudder pedals with my toes on the toe brakes. One of the checklist items was to set the parking brake so I held the toe brakes down and pulled the parking brake out to engage it (off-white knob right lower panel). I then verified normal action by relaxing pressure on the toe brakes, the pedals stayed down. After verifying all switches were off, I placed the battery switch to the on position (located on the left lower side panel). 3) cleared the area visually. The front was clear. 4) after a normal engine start, I continued with the checklist. 5) I had no sensation of motion but saw the airplane move visually, it was moving across to the right. I immediately applied hard toe pressure on the brakes and pumped them perhaps twice. I simultaneously fully retarded the throttle and pulled the mixture to idle cut-off (the mixture control is mounted below the throttle rather than to the right of the propeller control as is standard today). As these actions were underway I heard the propeller impact the left wing tip tank of the twin (cessna 421). The windshield was then almost completely obscured by fluid (fuel from the twin's tip tank). The engine stopped, I switched off the magnetos and rapidly exited the airplane. 6) I slipped on the fuel that lay on the ground behind the wing, fell down, got up, bent low and hurried over past the tail and cleared the airplane to the left side. At this point I talked to the FBO line-people around the area. They had reacted very rapidly and efficiently, and alerted the airport fire truck which arrived with dispatch. The pilot of the twin and I observed this truck spraying the fuel spill area with water. I then related the sequence of events verbally to the 2 FAA inspectors, who were called to the scene. They checked the cockpit after fire safety was ensured. In my estimation the entire incident from engine start to impact occurred in 4 seconds or less. After impact the bonanza longitudinal axis lay at approximately a 30 degree angle to the longitudinal axis of the cessna 421 as shown in the diagram above. Lesson learned: the transient twin was parked ahead and to the right of the bonanza (approximately 1/2 a fuselage length ahead and a fuselage length to the right). It was closer to the bonanza than would be normal in a permanently parking situation. Had the parking brakes not holding resulted in the bonanza moving straight ahead, rather than to the right, the bonanza would have cleared the twin's left wingtip and sufficient space and time to stop would have been available. Although I decided to check engine operation rather than taxi, I should have kept in mind that maneuvering space was tight in this closely parked situation. Had I been ready to taxi for takeoff I would have waited for the twin to be moved since it was parked close. In the future I will ensure that even an engine check should be done within the constraints of maneuvering space required for taxi.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: BONANZA V35 PROP CONTACTED WINGTIP OF CESSNA 421 AT ICT.

Narrative: OVERVIEW: ACFT SVCS RAMP AT ICT. AN INTENDED GND CHK OF THE ENG RESULTED IN THE PROP OF THE BONANZA V35A CLIPPING AND DAMAGING THE L TIP TANK, AILERON AND WING SKIN OF A TRANSIENT CESSNA 421 PARKED NEAR. THE BONANZA PATH DURING THE INCIDENT IS SHOWN IN THE DIAGRAM BELOW. ACTIONS PRIOR TO INCIDENT: MY INTENTION WAS TO LOOK OVER THE BONANZA BEFORE FLYING IT TO THE JACKSONVILLE, IL, ARPT (IJX) FOR THE OWNER AFTER PICKING IT UP FROM FBO AT ICT. SEQUENCE OF EVENTS IN THE INCIDENT. THE FOLLOWING SEQUENCE OF EVENTS OCCURRED (LISTED IN ORDER): 1) USING THE PLT SIDE HEADPHONE JACKS I CALLED GND CTL FOR A RADIO CHK ON EACH OF THE 2 COM RADIOS. BOTH WERE SATISFACTORY. AFTER I SIMILARLY CHKED THE CTR HEADPHONE POS I NOTICED THAT THE COPLT SIDE HEADSET JACKS HAD NOT BEEN INSTALLED. I ELECTED TO ALSO VERIFY THAT THE ENG WOULD START PROPERLY, AGAIN IN ORDER TO DEPART ON TIME FOR A DAYLIGHT DURATION FLT. 2) I WAS IN THE L SEAT AND USED THE CHKLIST TO GO THROUGH THE PRE-ENG START PROC. MY FEET WERE ON THE RUDDER PEDALS WITH MY TOES ON THE TOE BRAKES. ONE OF THE CHKLIST ITEMS WAS TO SET THE PARKING BRAKE SO I HELD THE TOE BRAKES DOWN AND PULLED THE PARKING BRAKE OUT TO ENGAGE IT (OFF-WHITE KNOB R LOWER PANEL). I THEN VERIFIED NORMAL ACTION BY RELAXING PRESSURE ON THE TOE BRAKES, THE PEDALS STAYED DOWN. AFTER VERIFYING ALL SWITCHES WERE OFF, I PLACED THE BATTERY SWITCH TO THE ON POS (LOCATED ON THE L LOWER SIDE PANEL). 3) CLRED THE AREA VISUALLY. THE FRONT WAS CLR. 4) AFTER A NORMAL ENG START, I CONTINUED WITH THE CHKLIST. 5) I HAD NO SENSATION OF MOTION BUT SAW THE AIRPLANE MOVE VISUALLY, IT WAS MOVING ACROSS TO THE R. I IMMEDIATELY APPLIED HARD TOE PRESSURE ON THE BRAKES AND PUMPED THEM PERHAPS TWICE. I SIMULTANEOUSLY FULLY RETARDED THE THROTTLE AND PULLED THE MIXTURE TO IDLE CUT-OFF (THE MIXTURE CTL IS MOUNTED BELOW THE THROTTLE RATHER THAN TO THE R OF THE PROP CTL AS IS STANDARD TODAY). AS THESE ACTIONS WERE UNDERWAY I HEARD THE PROP IMPACT THE L WING TIP TANK OF THE TWIN (CESSNA 421). THE WINDSHIELD WAS THEN ALMOST COMPLETELY OBSCURED BY FLUID (FUEL FROM THE TWIN'S TIP TANK). THE ENG STOPPED, I SWITCHED OFF THE MAGNETOS AND RAPIDLY EXITED THE AIRPLANE. 6) I SLIPPED ON THE FUEL THAT LAY ON THE GND BEHIND THE WING, FELL DOWN, GOT UP, BENT LOW AND HURRIED OVER PAST THE TAIL AND CLRED THE AIRPLANE TO THE L SIDE. AT THIS POINT I TALKED TO THE FBO LINE-PEOPLE AROUND THE AREA. THEY HAD REACTED VERY RAPIDLY AND EFFICIENTLY, AND ALERTED THE ARPT FIRE TRUCK WHICH ARRIVED WITH DISPATCH. THE PLT OF THE TWIN AND I OBSERVED THIS TRUCK SPRAYING THE FUEL SPILL AREA WITH WATER. I THEN RELATED THE SEQUENCE OF EVENTS VERBALLY TO THE 2 FAA INSPECTORS, WHO WERE CALLED TO THE SCENE. THEY CHKED THE COCKPIT AFTER FIRE SAFETY WAS ENSURED. IN MY ESTIMATION THE ENTIRE INCIDENT FROM ENG START TO IMPACT OCCURRED IN 4 SECONDS OR LESS. AFTER IMPACT THE BONANZA LONGITUDINAL AXIS LAY AT APPROX A 30 DEG ANGLE TO THE LONGITUDINAL AXIS OF THE CESSNA 421 AS SHOWN IN THE DIAGRAM ABOVE. LESSON LEARNED: THE TRANSIENT TWIN WAS PARKED AHEAD AND TO THE R OF THE BONANZA (APPROX 1/2 A FUSELAGE LENGTH AHEAD AND A FUSELAGE LENGTH TO THE R). IT WAS CLOSER TO THE BONANZA THAN WOULD BE NORMAL IN A PERMANENTLY PARKING SIT. HAD THE PARKING BRAKES NOT HOLDING RESULTED IN THE BONANZA MOVING STRAIGHT AHEAD, RATHER THAN TO THE R, THE BONANZA WOULD HAVE CLRED THE TWIN'S L WINGTIP AND SUFFICIENT SPACE AND TIME TO STOP WOULD HAVE BEEN AVAILABLE. ALTHOUGH I DECIDED TO CHK ENG OP RATHER THAN TAXI, I SHOULD HAVE KEPT IN MIND THAT MANEUVERING SPACE WAS TIGHT IN THIS CLOSELY PARKED SIT. HAD I BEEN READY TO TAXI FOR TKOF I WOULD HAVE WAITED FOR THE TWIN TO BE MOVED SINCE IT WAS PARKED CLOSE. IN THE FUTURE I WILL ENSURE THAT EVEN AN ENG CHK SHOULD BE DONE WITHIN THE CONSTRAINTS OF MANEUVERING SPACE REQUIRED FOR TAXI.

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.