Pilot Debrief

CESSNA 172 near Johnson Valley, CA — 2012-04-03

Final reportWPR12CA153
Sign in to save
Date
2012-04-03
Location
Johnson Valley, CA, USA
Airport
6CA5
Aircraft
CESSNA 172
Registration
N6749A
Category
Airplane
Highest injury
Minor
Fatalities
0
Phase of flight
Ground

Probable cause

The pilot did not properly secure the airplane prior to rotating the propeller by hand, resulting in inadvertent movement of the airplane.

NTSB narrative

An acquaintance of the pilot had expressed an interest in learning to fly the pilot’s newly purchased airplane, and the pilot agreed to provide a demonstration/introductory flight. The acquaintance had no prior flight experience. On the morning of the planned flight, the pilot discovered that the airplane’s battery was dead and decided to start the engine by turning the propeller (hand-prop). He instructed the passenger, seated in the left seat, how to operate the brakes and throttle. The engine was hand-propped and started successfully by the pilot, but the airplane began to move forward. The pilot was unable to board the airplane, and the passenger was unable to control or stop the airplane or shut down the engine. An eyewitness reported that the engine rpm increased and the airplane accelerated as it traversed the airport. The airplane crossed a runway and struck a ground-mounted solar panel array located about 200 feet away. The airplane sustained damage to the propeller, engine mount, firewall, windscreen, wings, and nose landing gear. Four solar panels were also damaged. The passenger stated that due to inexperience, he was unable to properly operate the brakes, but he could not recall whether he attempted to manipulate the throttle during the event.

Analysis

Primary failure mode
Human factors
First missed decision gate
Pilot should not have attempted to hand-prop the engine with an inexperienced passenger.

NTSB coding

Evidence available

  • 8 docket documents
View NTSB final reportView NTSB docket

Docket documents8

Related mishaps