Event GAA18CA208

Factual narrative

The student pilot reported that, while taxiing to park, he aligned the airplane with the parking spot, added power to make the turn, and then heard a "boom". He added that, he shut the engine down, checked what happened, and realized that 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. The student pilot reported that, while taxiing to park, he aligned the airplane with the parking spot, added power to make the turn, and then heard a "boom." He shut the engine down and examined the airplane and found that 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. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database Retrieved: 2026-02-12

NTSB Findings

Hierarchical cause / factor breakdown from the FAA bulk avdata database. Each finding tagged C (Cause) or F (Factor).

• C Personnel issues-Psychological-Attention/monitoring-Monitoring environment-Student/instructed pilot - C
• C Personnel issues-Task performance-Use of equip/info-Aircraft control-Student/instructed pilot - C
• — Environmental issues-Physical environment-Object/animal/substance-Pole-Awareness of condition
• — Environmental issues-Physical environment-Object/animal/substance-Pole-Contributed to outcome
• C Aircraft-Aircraft handling/service-Parking/securing-Parking/storage-Incorrect use/operation - C