N4776E

On December 26, 2015, a Cessna 172 (N4776E) was involved in an incident near Punta Gorda, FL. All 1 person aboard were uninjured. The aircraft sustained substantial damage.

The National Transportation Safety Board determined the probable cause of this incident to be: The student pilot's failure to maintain obstacle clearance while taxiing on the ramp, resulting in a collision with an object.

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.

This incident is documented in NTSB report GAA16CA096. AviatorDB cross-references NTSB investigation data with FAA registry records to provide comprehensive safety information for aircraft N4776E.