N45CF

On January 02, 2001, about 1400 eastern standard time, a Beech 200, N45CF, registered to Gray Aircraft Accessories, Inc., collided with a light pole while taxiing on the ramp to takeoff at the Naples Municipal Airport, Naples, Florida. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time and an instrument flight rules (IFR) flight plan was filed for the 14 CFR Part 91 personal flight. The airplane was substantially damaged and the private-rated pilot and six passengers were not injured. The flight was originating at the time of the accident.

The airplane was parked by an unknown person from Naples Airport Authority after landing several days earlier and according to personnel from the Naples Airport Authority, remained in the same position that it had been parked from then to the arrival of the pilot to depart on the accident date. The pilot stated that personnel from Naples Airport Authority were busy and unable to take several passengers to the airplane from the fixed-base operator (FBO). During the preflight, he noted the light pole was just behind the outboard side of the right wing. He obtained his IFR clearance and was cleared to taxi. He began to taxi without a marshaller and with a row of airplanes ahead of his location, he initiated an immediate left turn to maintain right wing tip clearance with parked airplanes. During the turn, the right horizontal stabilizer contacted the light pole. Individuals nearby who witnessed the collision ran near the airplane and got the pilots attention who then secured the airplane.

According to a Federal Aviation Administration airworthiness inspector who examined the airplane, the leading edge of the right horizontal stabilizer and the forward and aft spars of the vertical stabilizer were damaged.

Examination of the area where the airplane had been parked revealed double concentric circles pole painted on the ramp centered on the light pole; the outer circle had a radius of approximately 32 feet. Radial lines were painted on the ramp from the base of the light pole to the inner circle line. A north-south oriented taxiway line west of where the airplane had been parked was blacked out; no lead out line was noted from the spot where the airplane had been parked forward to the blacked out taxiway line.