N64423

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.