| Occurrence Briefs are concise reports that detail the facts surrounding a transport safety occurrence, as received in the initial notification and any follow-up enquiries. They provide an opportunity to share safety messages in the absence of an investigation. |
What happened
On 18 July 2020, at about 1000 Eastern Standard Time, a Piper PA-28 was taxiing to vacate the runway at Warrnambool Airport, Victoria. As the aircraft vacated the runway, the pilot proceeded towards the fuel bowser and aligned the aircraft on what was thought to be a taxiway guideline for the apron in front of the fuel bowser. As the aircraft slowed, it suddenly veered right and came to a stop. The right wing had contacted the shelter housing the fuel bowser, with further inspection revealing a dent in the leading edge of the wing. The pilot had mistaken the parking limit line for a taxi guideline marking and positioned the aircraft too far to the right, resulting in a collision with the structure as the aircraft approached the bowser (see Figure 1).
Figure 1: Warrnambool Airport apron markings
Source: Google annotated by the ATSB
As depicted in Figure 2 from the Manual of Standards Part 139 – Aerodromes Volume 1: Chapter 8, limit markings differ in presentation from taxi guideline markings. Taxi guidelines consist of a single solid yellow line, whereas parking limit lines consist of two solid yellow lines surrounding a solid red line with the words ‘Parking Clearance’ appearing at regular intervals. A list of markings and their meanings are available to pilots in the Aeronautical Information Publication (AIP) AD 1.1 4.10.
Figure 2: Apron markings – taxi guideline marking and parking clearance line
Source: Manual of Standards Part 139 - Aerodromes
Safety message
This incident reinforces the importance of maintaining situational awareness[1], a good lookout while taxiing and a familiarity with apron markings.
About this report
Decisions regarding whether to conduct an investigation, and the scope of an investigation, are based on many factors, including the level of safety benefit likely to be obtained from an investigation. For this occurrence, no investigation has been conducted and the ATSB did not verify the accuracy of the information. A brief description has been written using information supplied in the notification and any follow-up information in order to produce a short summary report, and allow for greater industry awareness of potential safety issues and possible safety actions.
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