Cardinal 177/177RG
Flight Crew Instrument; Flight Crew Commercial
Flight Crew Last 90 Days 18; Flight Crew Total 822; Flight Crew Type 800
Confusion
Conflict Ground Conflict; Critical
Aircraft Aircraft Damaged; Flight Crew Took Evasive Action
Human Factors
After landing; while taxiing at approximately 5 MPH on the center of the taxiway to a parking area; I misjudged the clearance distance between my aircraft and the other aircraft which was parked in the grass on the left of me parallel to the taxiway facing the opposite direction of my travel. The upper left wingtip of my aircraft began to make contact with the underside of the left wing of the other aircraft; and began to lift it up. I stopped immediately and shut down my engine. At rest; the wingtip of the other aircraft was atop my wingtip with an overlap of approximately six or seven inches at about mid-chord. The owner of the other aircraft was present by the time I opened my door to get out. We inspected the situation; the owner of the other aircraft pushed up his aircraft's wing; while I maneuvered my aircraft away with the use of the nose-gear tow bar. We each inspected our respective aircraft. There was no structural damage to my aircraft. The other aircraft has a rub mark on the underside of the wingtip; with very minor damage for the fabric. The owner of the other aircraft and I exchanged identification; addresses and phone numbers and parted company. Human performance considerations: I made an assumption that I could safely clear the parked aircraft; since other aircraft ahead of me on the taxiway had passed without contact. In the future if I find myself in a similar situation; I will either stop without proceeding any further or ask for assistance from someone to help me judge the clearance.
A taxiing C177 pilot misjudged his aircraft's wing tip clearance from a parked PA20 and allowed his upper wing tip to override a PA20's lower wing tip before coming to a stop and separating the aircraft with only superficial damage.