Sedona, AZ, USA
N64423
Cessna 172P
The pilot maneuvered his airplane around a parked airplane and collided with a pole while taxiing toward a parking area following landing from his flight. The pilot had diverted his attention toward the parked airplane to his right, and the pole was on the left side of his airplane.
On February 25, 2006, about 1020 mountain standard time, the pilot taxiing a Cessna 172P, N64423, impacted a pole at the Sedona, Arizona, airport. The pilot had rented the airplane from Aerobear Aviation, Cottonwood, Arizona. The airplane's left wing was substantially damaged during the ground collision. Neither the private pilot nor the passenger was injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time, and no flight plan had been filed. The flight was performed under the provisions of 14 CFR Part 91, and it originated from Cottonwood at 0735. The pilot reported to the National Transportation Safety Board investigator that while he was taxiing toward a parking area, he looked right while maneuvering around an airplane that was parked near the terminal building. The pilot reported that he was "focusing on avoiding the wing of the jet to my right. I didn't notice the tall light pole on my left." The left wing of the pilot's airplane impacted the pole. The operator's mechanic subsequently examined the flight school's airplane. The mechanic reported that the collision occurred about 2 feet inboard of the wing tip, and the wing was structurally deformed.
The pilot's failure to maintain an adequate clearance from obstructions and diverted attention while taxiing.
Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database
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