How to Protect Your Plane When Youre Not There to Protect It

Our files at Avemco show that 52% of our claims occur when an airplane is not in the air. Although pilots are seldom injured, the result can be substantial damage or the total loss of an airplane.

Approximately 11% of accidents happen while taxiing, another 8% occur while pushing/pulling the aircraft in and out of the hangar, sometimes because of inattention, complacency, or distraction. This leaves 33% of all losses that happen when a pilot is often nowhere near his or her airplane. For the most part, those claims are caused by weather. Usually, there’s nothing you can do about it. If straight-line winds take off the roof of your hangar, or a hailstorm batters your plane while it’s sitting on the ramp, you have no control.

But there are steps you can take to reduce the risks of ground damage. You can be sure to install the gust lock and chock the aircraft whenever you leave it unattended outside, even if you have just stopped for a quick bite at an airport restaurant.

If you’re someone who usually keeps your plane in a hangar, do you know the proper way to tie it down on those rare occasions when you need to? Like when you’re going to an airshow event, for instance. For that matter, do you have effective tie downs? When is a tie down anchor not a tie down anchor? When it hasn’t been designed and marketed as a tie down anchor for aircraft. A lot of spiral stakes may look the same, but don’t confuse one intended to restrain a 70-pound Golden Retriever with the one you need to secure a 2,200-pound Cessna 172. Heavier stakes, designed explicitly for securing aircraft, are only a few dollars more and could be well worth it if a thunderstorm hits in the middle of the night.

Such unforeseen and often unavoidable ground damage is an excellent reason to carry hull insurance. Even a bent wing tip can cost more to repair than several years’ worth of insurance premiums.

There are many useful resources to help you learn the proper way to secure your aircraft, including this helpful video. It’s worth taking a few minutes to review your technique.

Source: Avemco Insurance Company Claims Data, 2012-2022.

Kim Skipper has been with Avemco Insurance Company since 1987. Kim earned her Chartered Property Casualty Underwriter (CPCU) designation - the industry’s highest achievement - in 2002. She has been diligent and instrumental in educating customers and callers about general aviation insurance, as well as managing and training the team of aviation underwriters at Avemco. Kim also holds a property/casualty insurance license in all 50 states. She says, “I love the fact that my experience combined with being a direct underwriter allows me to deliver immediate answers to the customers.” In her free time, Kim enjoys crocheting, spending time with her family, and is an avid Baltimore Ravens fan.

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Articles and news items provided by Avemco^® are not intended to provide technical or legal advice. Content is for general information and discussion only and is not a full analysis of the matters presented. The information provided may not be applicable in all situations, and readers should always seek specific advice from the FAA and/or appropriate technical and legal experts before taking any action with respect to any matters discussed herein. Articles provided by independent sources solely reflect the views of their respective authors and should also not be regarded as technical or legal advice. WPG0515 (05/26)