Narrative:

The day started normally; with a show time of 2 hours prior to scheduled takeoff in order to load world north database in the FMS computers. Everything up to and including engine start were in accordance with the normal checklist and company procedures. At approximately XA50 we called for and received taxi clearance for takeoff on an IFR flight plan. We were parked with a lear 45 on our left and a challenger 300 on our right with about 8 ft wingtip clearance on each side with the main wheels back against the edge of the parking ramp; facing a maintenance hangar. The hangar had a 4-FT walkway along its ramp side wall which was covered by a canvas canopy supported by steel posts and a metal framework about 7 ft off the ground. Also in front of me; against the walkway adjacent to the maintenance hangar; was a forklift with a pratt & whitney PW300 engine crated on a pallet on its tines. This crate was within the wing span of the aircraft if we could have taxied straight forward. To get off the parking ramp we had to make a 90 degree right turn and taxi down a narrow alley created by the edge of the maintenance hangar we faced and the row of aircraft parked to our right. Before we started to move; the pilot in the challenger 300; which also had its engines running; asked if he should taxi first. I said I didn't care; and he said 'then go ahead.' I taxied forward to clear the wingtip on the learjet to my left and began my right turn. I was about 1/2 way through the turn and straightened out the nosewheel in order to assure passing the engine box. Once I was sure of clearance on the box; I continued the turn. There was a lineman or a mechanic on the sidewalk under the canopy between the location of the cockpit and the wingtip who I thought was a wing walker or who would at least provide me with some indication of my progress. Since it appeared to me in the cockpit that the wingtip would clear the awning; and because the individual on by the wingtip gave no signal to stop; I proceeded with the turn and looked to the right to see the clearance on the aircraft to the right. The pilot in the challenger 300 was indicating 'thumbs up;' that clearance was good and I continued the turn. We did not feel the initial contact of the winglet with the canopy; but heard the vibration as the winglet scraped the metal frame work of the canopy (approximately 8 ft). I asked the first officer what he thought the noise was as I stopped the aircraft; and he said it was possibly the nosewheel steering. At that point I looked around and saw the winglet under the canopy by 6-8 inches with the top part of the winglet broken off. The individual who had been on the walkway was no longer there. We began to shut down the aircraft to prevent further movement. A maintenance man came out of the office at that point and held up a stop signal. We were already in the sequence of shutdown by then. There were no personnel present to marshal the aircraft from parking from the time of engine start until the winglet contacted the awning.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: CL64 STRIKES CANVAS AWNING STRUCTURE WHILE TAXIING OUT OF CONGESTED FBO RAMP SPACE WITHOUT A MARSHALLER.

Narrative: THE DAY STARTED NORMALLY; WITH A SHOW TIME OF 2 HRS PRIOR TO SCHEDULED TKOF IN ORDER TO LOAD WORLD N DATABASE IN THE FMS COMPUTERS. EVERYTHING UP TO AND INCLUDING ENG START WERE IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE NORMAL CHKLIST AND COMPANY PROCS. AT APPROX XA50 WE CALLED FOR AND RECEIVED TAXI CLRNC FOR TKOF ON AN IFR FLT PLAN. WE WERE PARKED WITH A LEAR 45 ON OUR L AND A CHALLENGER 300 ON OUR R WITH ABOUT 8 FT WINGTIP CLRNC ON EACH SIDE WITH THE MAIN WHEELS BACK AGAINST THE EDGE OF THE PARKING RAMP; FACING A MAINT HANGAR. THE HANGAR HAD A 4-FT WALKWAY ALONG ITS RAMP SIDE WALL WHICH WAS COVERED BY A CANVAS CANOPY SUPPORTED BY STEEL POSTS AND A METAL FRAMEWORK ABOUT 7 FT OFF THE GND. ALSO IN FRONT OF ME; AGAINST THE WALKWAY ADJACENT TO THE MAINT HANGAR; WAS A FORKLIFT WITH A PRATT & WHITNEY PW300 ENG CRATED ON A PALLET ON ITS TINES. THIS CRATE WAS WITHIN THE WING SPAN OF THE ACFT IF WE COULD HAVE TAXIED STRAIGHT FORWARD. TO GET OFF THE PARKING RAMP WE HAD TO MAKE A 90 DEG R TURN AND TAXI DOWN A NARROW ALLEY CREATED BY THE EDGE OF THE MAINT HANGAR WE FACED AND THE ROW OF ACFT PARKED TO OUR R. BEFORE WE STARTED TO MOVE; THE PLT IN THE CHALLENGER 300; WHICH ALSO HAD ITS ENGS RUNNING; ASKED IF HE SHOULD TAXI FIRST. I SAID I DIDN'T CARE; AND HE SAID 'THEN GO AHEAD.' I TAXIED FORWARD TO CLR THE WINGTIP ON THE LEARJET TO MY L AND BEGAN MY R TURN. I WAS ABOUT 1/2 WAY THROUGH THE TURN AND STRAIGHTENED OUT THE NOSEWHEEL IN ORDER TO ASSURE PASSING THE ENG BOX. ONCE I WAS SURE OF CLRNC ON THE BOX; I CONTINUED THE TURN. THERE WAS A LINEMAN OR A MECH ON THE SIDEWALK UNDER THE CANOPY BTWN THE LOCATION OF THE COCKPIT AND THE WINGTIP WHO I THOUGHT WAS A WING WALKER OR WHO WOULD AT LEAST PROVIDE ME WITH SOME INDICATION OF MY PROGRESS. SINCE IT APPEARED TO ME IN THE COCKPIT THAT THE WINGTIP WOULD CLR THE AWNING; AND BECAUSE THE INDIVIDUAL ON BY THE WINGTIP GAVE NO SIGNAL TO STOP; I PROCEEDED WITH THE TURN AND LOOKED TO THE R TO SEE THE CLRNC ON THE ACFT TO THE R. THE PLT IN THE CHALLENGER 300 WAS INDICATING 'THUMBS UP;' THAT CLRNC WAS GOOD AND I CONTINUED THE TURN. WE DID NOT FEEL THE INITIAL CONTACT OF THE WINGLET WITH THE CANOPY; BUT HEARD THE VIBRATION AS THE WINGLET SCRAPED THE METAL FRAME WORK OF THE CANOPY (APPROX 8 FT). I ASKED THE FO WHAT HE THOUGHT THE NOISE WAS AS I STOPPED THE ACFT; AND HE SAID IT WAS POSSIBLY THE NOSEWHEEL STEERING. AT THAT POINT I LOOKED AROUND AND SAW THE WINGLET UNDER THE CANOPY BY 6-8 INCHES WITH THE TOP PART OF THE WINGLET BROKEN OFF. THE INDIVIDUAL WHO HAD BEEN ON THE WALKWAY WAS NO LONGER THERE. WE BEGAN TO SHUT DOWN THE ACFT TO PREVENT FURTHER MOVEMENT. A MAINT MAN CAME OUT OF THE OFFICE AT THAT POINT AND HELD UP A STOP SIGNAL. WE WERE ALREADY IN THE SEQUENCE OF SHUTDOWN BY THEN. THERE WERE NO PERSONNEL PRESENT TO MARSHAL THE ACFT FROM PARKING FROM THE TIME OF ENG START UNTIL THE WINGLET CONTACTED THE AWNING.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of January 2009 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.