Lawn mower vs aircraft crash may cost Modesto $8,000

The city may have to pay nearly $8,000 after one of its employees clipped the tail of a parked airplane with his riding lawn mower at the Modesto Airport.

The turboprop Pilatus aircraft was parked on the apron near Sky Trek Aviation in late November with its tail hanging over the grass. The employee was driving a new lawn mower and its roll bar clipped the underside of the tail.

Modesto Airport Manager Mark Germanoswki said the previous mower did not have a roll bar, and the employee was not yet fully acclimated to the new mower.

"It was just an unfortunate accident," Germanoswki said. "He (the employee) felt horrible. My guys are very good. It was just one of those things."

AirSF Flight Services filed a $7,968 claim on behalf Zinfandel World Airlines, the Napa Valley-based aircraft owner, against Modesto on Feb. 20 seeking reimbursement for the cost of the repairs.

"We are thankful the damage (to) the aircraft was limited to $7,968.09 per the repair invoice attached," AirSF Flight Services CFO Mark Mohler wrote in the claim. "As a reference the total value of the aircraft is close to $3M."

Mohler said the aircraft was in Modesto for a charter flight related to the wine industry.

This story was originally published February 27, 2018 at 6:23 PM with the headline "Lawn mower vs aircraft crash may cost Modesto $8,000."