FAA Damage: Minor

[n147yt]

The FAA report:
Regis#: 449YV Make/Model: DH8B Description: DHC-8-200 DASH 8
Date: 04/21/2009 Time: 0038
Event Type: Incident Highest Injury: None Mid Air: N Missing: N
Damage: Minor
LOCATION
City: PHOENIX State: AZ Country: US
DESCRIPTION
N449YV AIR SHUTTLE FLIGHT 2957 DEHAVILLAND DHC8 AIRCRAFT, WHILE TAXIING,
STRUCK A GROUND POWER UNIT WITH ITS RIGHT ENGINE PROP, NO INJURIES
REPORTED, DAMAGE REPORTED AS MINOR, PHOENIX, AZ
INJURY DATA Total Fatal: 0
# Crew: 3 Fat: 0 Ser: 0 Min: 0 Unk:
# Pass: 13 Fat: 0 Ser: 0 Min: 0 Unk:
# Grnd: Fat: 0 Ser: 0 Min: 0 Unk:
WEATHER: VFR
OTHER DATA
Activity: Business Phase: Taxi Operation: Air Carrier

FAA FSDO: SCOTTSDALE, AZ (WP07) Entry date: 04/21/2009

The pictures:
84051

84052

84053

84054

84055

Looks a little more than "MINOR"
:kilroy:

[n147yt]

Scheduled 14 CFR Part 121: Air Carrier operation of Mesa Airlines (D.B.A. Air Shuttle)
Accident occurred Monday, April 20, 2009 in Phoenix, AZ
Aircraft: DE HAVILLAND DHC-8, registration: N449YV
Injuries: 17 Uninjured.

<CENTER>This is preliminary information, subject to change, and may contain errors. Any errors in this report will be corrected when the final report has been completed.</CENTER>
On April 20, 2009, at 1738 hours mountain standard time, a Dehavilland DHC-8-202, N449YV, struck a ground power unit (GPU) with the right propeller while taxiing to parking at the Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport (PHX), Phoenix, Arizona. Mesa Airlines operated the flight as Air Shuttle flight 2957 under Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Part 121 as a scheduled passenger service flight. The captain, first officer, flight attendant, and 14 passengers were not injured; there were no ground injuries. The airplane sustained structural damage to the right wing, engine, and fuselage, along with damage to the left engines' propeller blades. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed for the international flight that departed the General Jose Maria Yanez International Airport (GYM), Guaymas, Mexico at 1540. An instrument flight rules (IFR) flight plan had been filed.

According to PHX airport operations personnel, the airplane was being ground marshaled to gate B24, with the aid of a marshaller and wing walkers. As the airplane reached its final stopping point, the right propeller struck the GPU.

Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) inspectors reported that the GPU was about 7 feet aft of the required parking spot for the GPU. After the propeller blades struck the GPU, it pulled it back toward the fuselage.

[TeaSea]

Major damage is defined as anything affecting the structure or major component of the aircraft. The aircraft skin, landing gear, and props are not considered part of the structure. Therefore damage to those items would not be taken into account terms of damage by the FAA (I'm sure the insurance adjuster would have another opinion) Note that from the photo's it appears as though those are the items principally affected.

Reportable incidents or accidents are those that exceed $25,000 in repair. Clearly this aircraft has suffered at least a reportable incident and I notice that it is listed as such.

I'm curious therefore as to what the aircraft was taxiing for....accidents are defined by the FAA as occurring whenever anyone is aboard for flight (preparing for, during, or landing and shutting down from). In this case it appears the aircraft was not being operated incident to a flight (taxiing for maintenance?) since it's listed as an incident -- very curious.

[TeaSea]

Well, for whatever reason the NTSB has listed it as an "incident" in the 21 April report....

Seems like an accident to me though.

[modelr]

says in the report it was being marshalled to the gate by marshaller and wing walkers. Since full crew and 14 passangers were on board, I would say it was taxiing in to deplane. Also says the gpu was out of position, so a ground crew, and the marshaller will probably be cited as the cause.