- Date
- December 26, 2015, 17:00 local (22:00 UTC)
- Place
- Punta Gorda, FL
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Taxi
- Aircraft
- N4776ECessna 172
- Defining event
- Taxi-from runway: Ground collision
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report March 14, 2016
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- General Aviation Accidents
- Parties
- FAA Tampa FSDO
- FAA report
- 20151226022229A
- Case key
- 92532
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
Probable cause
The student pilot's failure to maintain obstacle clearance while taxiing on the ramp, resulting in a collision with an object.
Findings · 2
NTSB’s coded findings. Those marked are part of the probable cause; the rest are factors or other findings. Under each, the cases with the same finding.
Sequence of events
The events NTSB coded, in order, by phase of flight. The defining event is the one that best describes the accident. Under each, the cases with the same event anywhere in their sequence.
Analysis
The solo student pilot reported that after landing, he was taxiing on a ramp between a parked airplane and a ramp light pole as directed by the lineman. During the taxi movement, the left wing of the airplane impacted the ramp light pole and sustained substantial damage. He reported that the lineman and the parked airplane, "had my attention and I did not see the grey light pole during my scan, possibly due to the grey sky background at the time." The student pilot reported there were no pre-impact mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airframe or engine that would have precluded normal operation.
Factual narrative
The solo student pilot reported that after landing, he was taxiing on a ramp between a parked airplane and a ramp light pole as directed by the lineman. During the taxi movement, the left wing of the airplane impacted the ramp light pole and sustained substantial damage. He reported that the lineman and the parked airplane, "had my attention and I did not see the grey light pole during my scan, possibly due to the grey sky background at the time." The student pilot reported there were no pre-impact mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airframe or engine that would have precluded normal operation.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N4776E
- Reported as
- Cessna 172 (N)
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 17271641
- Built
- 1978
- Airframe hours
- 5,477.6
- Engine
- Lycoming O-320-H2AD, 140 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Operator
- Jacobs Flight Services, LLC
- Registered owner
- Jacobs Flight Services, LLC
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Utility; Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · October 28, 2015
- Departed
- 2IS · Clewiston, FL
- Destination
- PGD · Punta Gorda, FL
- Airport
- PGD · Punta Gorda, runway 04, 7,193 × 150 ft, asphalt
- Equipment
- None
Matched to the registry by N-number and the event date; the registry’s history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Student pilot
- Age
- 40
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Student
- Medical
- Class 3, With waivers/limitations
- Seat
- Left
- Restraint
- 3-point
- Flight hours
- 47.4 total · 31.8 in this make and model · 12.8 as pilot in command · 19.6 in the last 90 days · 4 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 80° at 8 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Temperature
- 81 °F, dew point 73 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.12 inHg
- Observed at
- KPGD
Docket · 3
The files NTSB released with the investigation on March 8, 2016, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 866 MB in all.
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.
Other investigations on N4776E · 2
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.