Narrative:

On jul/xa/00 at approximately XA09, a beechcraft B55 was cleared by iah ATC tower to 'taxi into position and hold' onto runway 15L at houston george bush intercontinental airport. The beechcraft B55 entered the runway environment shortly after the takeoff roll of an air carrier Y, B737 had begun its takeoff roll down runway 15L. Separation between the aircraft as the beechcraft had entered the runway environment was estimated to be 1000 ft or more lateral. Time separation between the aircraft, that is, the time between the B737 commencing its takeoff roll and the time the beechcraft entering the runway environment was estimated to have been 15 seconds or more. As the beechcraft turned to align with the runway centerline, a significant wake gust was encountered, prompting necessary and immediate corrective flight control action/reaction movement. In spite of the corrective reaction, the port (left) wing of the beechcraft was noted to rise significantly, then settle to normal position/attitude. Iah tower cleared the beechcraft for takeoff after approximately an additional 20 seconds after the beechcraft had entered the runway environment with a 'caution wake turbulence departing aircraft' warning. Acknowledgements of both the 'cleared for takeoff' and the warning 'caution wake turbulence departing aircraft' were given to the tower. The pilot of the beechcraft advised the tower that a 'wake turbulence avoidance departure' would be made. A normal takeoff was noted, rotating prior to the rotation point of the B737, with climb out to the west (upwind) of the B737 departure path, and turn made to the west, as instructed by iah tower, as soon as speed and altitude permitted. No aircraft or engine performance anomalies were noted, and the aircraft entered controled airspace for a normal flight in VMC to austin, tx, conducted under 14 crash fire rescue equipment part 91, on an IFR flight plan. A normal landing, cleared from a visual approach, was made at austin, tx. After deplanement, and during a routine postflt walkaround inspection, the pilot noted that the #2 (starboard) engine propeller displayed propeller tips bent, in a fashion appearing to be consistent with a ground contact/propeller strike. Corrective actions: both pilots and controllers should increase vigilance of the common hazards of wake turbulence, especially from transport category aircraft.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: PLT OF A BEECH BARON, BE55, LOST CTL OF THE ACFT BRIEFLY DURING TAXI INTO HOLDING POS FOR TKOF BEHIND A DEPARTING B737 RESULTING IN DAMAGE TO THE R PROP TIP.

Narrative: ON JUL/XA/00 AT APPROX XA09, A BEECHCRAFT B55 WAS CLRED BY IAH ATC TWR TO 'TAXI INTO POS AND HOLD' ONTO RWY 15L AT HOUSTON GEORGE BUSH INTERCONTINENTAL ARPT. THE BEECHCRAFT B55 ENTERED THE RWY ENVIRONMENT SHORTLY AFTER THE TKOF ROLL OF AN ACR Y, B737 HAD BEGUN ITS TKOF ROLL DOWN RWY 15L. SEPARATION BTWN THE ACFT AS THE BEECHCRAFT HAD ENTERED THE RWY ENVIRONMENT WAS ESTIMATED TO BE 1000 FT OR MORE LATERAL. TIME SEPARATION BTWN THE ACFT, THAT IS, THE TIME BTWN THE B737 COMMENCING ITS TKOF ROLL AND THE TIME THE BEECHCRAFT ENTERING THE RWY ENVIRONMENT WAS ESTIMATED TO HAVE BEEN 15 SECONDS OR MORE. AS THE BEECHCRAFT TURNED TO ALIGN WITH THE RWY CTRLINE, A SIGNIFICANT WAKE GUST WAS ENCOUNTERED, PROMPTING NECESSARY AND IMMEDIATE CORRECTIVE FLT CTL ACTION/REACTION MOVEMENT. IN SPITE OF THE CORRECTIVE REACTION, THE PORT (L) WING OF THE BEECHCRAFT WAS NOTED TO RISE SIGNIFICANTLY, THEN SETTLE TO NORMAL POS/ATTITUDE. IAH TWR CLRED THE BEECHCRAFT FOR TKOF AFTER APPROX AN ADDITIONAL 20 SECONDS AFTER THE BEECHCRAFT HAD ENTERED THE RWY ENVIRONMENT WITH A 'CAUTION WAKE TURB DEPARTING ACFT' WARNING. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS OF BOTH THE 'CLRED FOR TKOF' AND THE WARNING 'CAUTION WAKE TURB DEPARTING ACFT' WERE GIVEN TO THE TWR. THE PLT OF THE BEECHCRAFT ADVISED THE TWR THAT A 'WAKE TURB AVOIDANCE DEP' WOULD BE MADE. A NORMAL TKOF WAS NOTED, ROTATING PRIOR TO THE ROTATION POINT OF THE B737, WITH CLBOUT TO THE W (UPWIND) OF THE B737 DEP PATH, AND TURN MADE TO THE W, AS INSTRUCTED BY IAH TWR, AS SOON AS SPD AND ALT PERMITTED. NO ACFT OR ENG PERFORMANCE ANOMALIES WERE NOTED, AND THE ACFT ENTERED CTLED AIRSPACE FOR A NORMAL FLT IN VMC TO AUSTIN, TX, CONDUCTED UNDER 14 CFR PART 91, ON AN IFR FLT PLAN. A NORMAL LNDG, CLRED FROM A VISUAL APCH, WAS MADE AT AUSTIN, TX. AFTER DEPLANEMENT, AND DURING A ROUTINE POSTFLT WALKAROUND INSPECTION, THE PLT NOTED THAT THE #2 (STARBOARD) ENG PROP DISPLAYED PROP TIPS BENT, IN A FASHION APPEARING TO BE CONSISTENT WITH A GND CONTACT/PROP STRIKE. CORRECTIVE ACTIONS: BOTH PLTS AND CTLRS SHOULD INCREASE VIGILANCE OF THE COMMON HAZARDS OF WAKE TURB, ESPECIALLY FROM TRANSPORT CATEGORY ACFT.

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.