Prop Strike...
Yesterday morning, just before it got light, we had a pilot take a wrong turn off the paved taxiway in his single engine 1959 Cessna 182. Unfortunately, lurking in the grass safety area was an ILS hold sign (actually a lit 3 foot long box, a foot tall and a foot wide). Well his spinning propeller made quick work of the sign, throwing debris all over the taxiway. His 2 bladed prop now looks like 2 gull wings, bent into an arched pattern. Luckily no one was hurt, just the pilot's pride.
The sign will cost about $5k to replace including labor, but the $2k for new propeller blades is just the start of the bill for the small plane. After a prop strike, usually the engine has to be torn down and inspected... to the tune of about $8k including all repairs. He bought the plane used for $19k, averages about $10k a year in maintenance and expenses, and now this. It makes me rethink whether I want to buy a plane someday. Of course, maintaining 8 horses is not much cheaper!