Cessna 172 N4776E

Summary

On 26 December 2015 at about 22:00 local time, a Cessna 172 registered N4776E, operated by Jacobs Flight Services, LLC, was involved in an accident near Punta Gorda, Florida, United States. One person was on board and nobody was injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

26 December 2015 at 22:00

Classification

Accident

Location

Punta Gorda, Florida, United States

Nearest airport

Punta Gorda (PGD)

Coordinates

26.9147, -81.9964

Aircraft

Cessna 172

Registration

N4776E

Category

Airplane

Year built

1978

Engines

1

Operator

Jacobs Flight Services, LLC

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Instructional

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Clewiston → Punta Gorda

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

GAA16CA096

Nobody was injured.

The student pilot's failure to maintain obstacle clearance while taxiing on the ramp, resulting in a collision with an object.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.

Read the full NTSB 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.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.