Primary finding
Probable cause
Failure of the pilot-in-command to maintain wingtip clearance while taxiing resulting in the on-ground collision with a light pole.
Investigator assessment
Analysis narrative
While taxiing on a ramp and following a 'follow me' truck the left wing of the airplane collided with a light pole.
Source record
Factual narrative
On July 25, 1994, about 1030 eastern daylight time, a Piper PA-28, N9236L, registered to Flight Safety International, collided with a light pole while taxiing in a ramp area at the Naples Municipal Airport, Naples, Florida, while on a 14 CFR 141 instructional flight. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time and a VFR flight plan was filed. The aircraft was substantially damaged and the student pilot, the sole occupant, was not injured. The flight originated in Vero Beach, Florida, about 0857. The student pilot taxied the aircraft to a ramp area and when a line service individual recognized that the pilot was not familiar with the ramp, the line service individual drove a "follow me" truck to meet the airplane. The follow me truck was proceeding to a spot to park the airplane when the left wing of the airplane collided with a light pole. -