The student pilot reported that, while taxiing to park at the airport in Tucson, Arizona, he aligned the Piper PA-28 with the parking spot, added power to make the turn, and then heard a “boom.”
He shut the engine down, got out of the plane, and discovered the left wing had hit a pole.
The airplane sustained substantial damage to the left-wing rear spar.
The flight safety officer for the operator reported that there were no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.
The safety officer further reported that the company policy was to shut down the airplane on the yellow taxiway centerline before pushing the airplane back into the parking spot. He added that, after interviewing other flight crews, he learned that flight instructors had been demonstrating incorrect parking methods to students, including the student who taxied into the pole.
Probable cause: The student pilot’s failure to maintain clearance from a stationary pole while parking.
NTSB Identification: GAA18CA208
This April 2018 accident report is provided by the National Transportation Safety Board. Published as an educational tool, it is intended to help pilots learn from the misfortunes of others.
The pole moved…simple as that!
Some times the students do pay attention to the instructors: “flight instructors had been demonstrating incorrect parking methods to students”.
Why are there poles in ANY ramp area where planes are parked? Is this KTUS?