Narrative:

We (the flight crew) did our preflight inspection. Then we instructed the ground crew to begin pushing the aircraft out of the hangar. As the tail went under the door, a metal (flat iron) plate that was used to assist in holding the canvas door down when closed, caught the upper surface of the tail section in the middle (left and right). When the noise was heard by the ground crew he stopped towing and asked me to take a look at the situation. We moved a deice tower over so as to get a look at the top of the tail. I noticed that the metal plate had caught enough to be turned under angling aft rather than forward as it normally was. This made pulling the aircraft forward a bad idea due to the apparent binding with the tail that would occur. So to aid in lowering the tail, we placed a 2 X 4 piece of lumber under the nosewheel. Then backed the aircraft out, while my first officer watched to observe if any further damage would be caused. When I had inspected the tail section with a flashlight I saw that the anti-collision beacon on top of the tail had been removed in a shearing like fashion and there were scratches in the paint. Neither I nor my first officer had noticed any further damage to the tail and deferred it to be safe to operate. I had written up the light as having been broken and deferred it as per the MEL. We departed and flew to pit. While in pit, maintenance looked at it and had not noticed anything that would render the aircraft unairworthy. When we got back to mss there was a crew change and the next captain decided to take a closer look at the tail and had observed damage to the cone on the leading edge of the tail and grounded the aircraft until further inspection could be done.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: FLC OF A BEECH 1900 OPERATED THE ACFT ON A SCHEDULED FLT AFTER IT HAD BEEN DAMAGED WHEN BEING REMOVED FROM THE HANGAR WITHOUT AN INSPECTION AND SIGN OFF BY MAINT.

Narrative: WE (THE FLC) DID OUR PREFLT INSPECTION. THEN WE INSTRUCTED THE GND CREW TO BEGIN PUSHING THE ACFT OUT OF THE HANGAR. AS THE TAIL WENT UNDER THE DOOR, A METAL (FLAT IRON) PLATE THAT WAS USED TO ASSIST IN HOLDING THE CANVAS DOOR DOWN WHEN CLOSED, CAUGHT THE UPPER SURFACE OF THE TAIL SECTION IN THE MIDDLE (L AND R). WHEN THE NOISE WAS HEARD BY THE GND CREW HE STOPPED TOWING AND ASKED ME TO TAKE A LOOK AT THE SIT. WE MOVED A DEICE TWR OVER SO AS TO GET A LOOK AT THE TOP OF THE TAIL. I NOTICED THAT THE METAL PLATE HAD CAUGHT ENOUGH TO BE TURNED UNDER ANGLING AFT RATHER THAN FORWARD AS IT NORMALLY WAS. THIS MADE PULLING THE ACFT FORWARD A BAD IDEA DUE TO THE APPARENT BINDING WITH THE TAIL THAT WOULD OCCUR. SO TO AID IN LOWERING THE TAIL, WE PLACED A 2 X 4 PIECE OF LUMBER UNDER THE NOSEWHEEL. THEN BACKED THE ACFT OUT, WHILE MY FO WATCHED TO OBSERVE IF ANY FURTHER DAMAGE WOULD BE CAUSED. WHEN I HAD INSPECTED THE TAIL SECTION WITH A FLASHLIGHT I SAW THAT THE ANTI-COLLISION BEACON ON TOP OF THE TAIL HAD BEEN REMOVED IN A SHEARING LIKE FASHION AND THERE WERE SCRATCHES IN THE PAINT. NEITHER I NOR MY FO HAD NOTICED ANY FURTHER DAMAGE TO THE TAIL AND DEFERRED IT TO BE SAFE TO OPERATE. I HAD WRITTEN UP THE LIGHT AS HAVING BEEN BROKEN AND DEFERRED IT AS PER THE MEL. WE DEPARTED AND FLEW TO PIT. WHILE IN PIT, MAINT LOOKED AT IT AND HAD NOT NOTICED ANYTHING THAT WOULD RENDER THE ACFT UNAIRWORTHY. WHEN WE GOT BACK TO MSS THERE WAS A CREW CHANGE AND THE NEXT CAPT DECIDED TO TAKE A CLOSER LOOK AT THE TAIL AND HAD OBSERVED DAMAGE TO THE CONE ON THE LEADING EDGE OF THE TAIL AND GNDED THE ACFT UNTIL FURTHER INSPECTION COULD BE DONE.

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.