What happened
While taxiing toward the cargo ramp, a Boeing 727 collided with a lightpole with its left wing. The incident occurred while the flight crew was being guided by various ground personnel.
During the taxi sequence, an initial taxi director attempted to hand off the aircraft to a second director; however, the second individual misunderstood the instruction and turned away. At that time, a third person—who was acting as a safety lookout rather than an official taxi director—began providing taxi signals. The flight crew followed the signals provided by this individual.
The safety lookout directed a turn, believing the wing would clear the pole. However, the aircraft did not complete the turn as rapidly as the lookout had directed, causing the left wing to make contact with the lightpole. The safety lookout stated that he attempted to stop the aircraft, but because he was positioned under the nose of the plane, he was initially out of the crew's view and had to run approximately 15 feet forward to be seen by the flight crew. It was noted that wingtips are difficult to observe from the cockpit of the Boeing 727.