Narrative:

My wife and I loaded our C177 cardinal up at our tiedown for an IFR flight to ohio. There was snow and ice on and around the plane. We cleared the plane itself of snow and ice, and the area in front of it. However, the taxiway in front was not fully plowed, so we asked the FBO to plow it. The plow operator said he was new, but he would do his best. He plowed as requested, but in a less than practiced way. We picked up our IFR flight plan while parked, and then announced ready for taxi, and were cleared to taxi to runway 6. The condition of the taxiway (temperature about 33 degrees F, it had been warmer before the sun set) was slushy and muddy, with some remaining snow on it. I was overly concentrating on not getting stuck and missing remaining snow that had not been plowed as we taxied forward to the hard surface taxiway 4 or 5 tiedowns ahead. I was centered in the plowed area, but the plowed area was not centered in the taxiway, rather it was displaced to the right of it some. I failed to take this into account. It was night. I was taxiing faster than normal so as not to get bogged down. Just before our right wing struck the parked bonanza's 3-BLADED propeller, I realized that I was too close to it, but could do nothing except brake some. The propeller hit our wing about 1 ft inboard from the end of the wing. It was a 'gentle' hit -- in fact, my wife wasn't even aware of the strike, thinking we'd rolled over something with the wheel. However, as soon as I got the hard surface taxiway, I stopped the plane and exited to inspect the damage, and saw that the cardinal's wing had been gashed and the aileron bent. So we canceled the flight. The bonanza only suffered very minor discernible damage, some scratches to the propeller. Lessons learned: taxi down the middle of the taxiway, not the middle of the plowed area, if they are not the same. Be aware that winter flying brings its owns challenges. Do not overly concentrate on one thing (missing snow, not getting stuck), to the detriment of more important items, such as remaining clear of other aircraft.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: C177 PLT HAS COLLISION WITH ACFT WHILE TAXIING AT ZZZ.

Narrative: MY WIFE AND I LOADED OUR C177 CARDINAL UP AT OUR TIEDOWN FOR AN IFR FLT TO OHIO. THERE WAS SNOW AND ICE ON AND AROUND THE PLANE. WE CLRED THE PLANE ITSELF OF SNOW AND ICE, AND THE AREA IN FRONT OF IT. HOWEVER, THE TXWY IN FRONT WAS NOT FULLY PLOWED, SO WE ASKED THE FBO TO PLOW IT. THE PLOW OPERATOR SAID HE WAS NEW, BUT HE WOULD DO HIS BEST. HE PLOWED AS REQUESTED, BUT IN A LESS THAN PRACTICED WAY. WE PICKED UP OUR IFR FLT PLAN WHILE PARKED, AND THEN ANNOUNCED READY FOR TAXI, AND WERE CLRED TO TAXI TO RWY 6. THE CONDITION OF THE TXWY (TEMP ABOUT 33 DEGS F, IT HAD BEEN WARMER BEFORE THE SUN SET) WAS SLUSHY AND MUDDY, WITH SOME REMAINING SNOW ON IT. I WAS OVERLY CONCENTRATING ON NOT GETTING STUCK AND MISSING REMAINING SNOW THAT HAD NOT BEEN PLOWED AS WE TAXIED FORWARD TO THE HARD SURFACE TXWY 4 OR 5 TIEDOWNS AHEAD. I WAS CTRED IN THE PLOWED AREA, BUT THE PLOWED AREA WAS NOT CTRED IN THE TXWY, RATHER IT WAS DISPLACED TO THE R OF IT SOME. I FAILED TO TAKE THIS INTO ACCOUNT. IT WAS NIGHT. I WAS TAXIING FASTER THAN NORMAL SO AS NOT TO GET BOGGED DOWN. JUST BEFORE OUR R WING STRUCK THE PARKED BONANZA'S 3-BLADED PROP, I REALIZED THAT I WAS TOO CLOSE TO IT, BUT COULD DO NOTHING EXCEPT BRAKE SOME. THE PROP HIT OUR WING ABOUT 1 FT INBOARD FROM THE END OF THE WING. IT WAS A 'GENTLE' HIT -- IN FACT, MY WIFE WASN'T EVEN AWARE OF THE STRIKE, THINKING WE'D ROLLED OVER SOMETHING WITH THE WHEEL. HOWEVER, AS SOON AS I GOT THE HARD SURFACE TXWY, I STOPPED THE PLANE AND EXITED TO INSPECT THE DAMAGE, AND SAW THAT THE CARDINAL'S WING HAD BEEN GASHED AND THE AILERON BENT. SO WE CANCELED THE FLT. THE BONANZA ONLY SUFFERED VERY MINOR DISCERNIBLE DAMAGE, SOME SCRATCHES TO THE PROP. LESSONS LEARNED: TAXI DOWN THE MIDDLE OF THE TXWY, NOT THE MIDDLE OF THE PLOWED AREA, IF THEY ARE NOT THE SAME. BE AWARE THAT WINTER FLYING BRINGS ITS OWNS CHALLENGES. DO NOT OVERLY CONCENTRATE ON ONE THING (MISSING SNOW, NOT GETTING STUCK), TO THE DETRIMENT OF MORE IMPORTANT ITEMS, SUCH AS REMAINING CLR OF OTHER 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.