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19970205008729I

Incident · Minor damage
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FAA incident report · Cessna 150L · Magnolia, TX · February 5, 1997

FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal

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Date
February 5, 1997 · 12:00 local
Place
Magnolia, TX
Phase of flight
Starting Engines
Operating rules
General operating rules (Part 91)
Damage
Minor damage
Aircraft
N65985
Reported as
Cessna 150L
People aboard
1
Fatal injuries
0
Pilot’s flight hours
100 total80 in this make and model80 in the last 90 days
N65985Registered now · Cessna 150LS/N 15075759Airframe modelCessna 150LEngine modelContinental 0-200 seriesReciprocating

From the FAA’s Accident/Incident Data System (AIDS), through its Aviation Safety Information Portal, as reported. The NTSB investigates accidents separately, and its record of an accident is the fuller one. The aircraft is matched to the registry by N-number and event date, checked against the reported make and model; the registry’s history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.

What happened

The FAA’s narrative, in sentence case. The FAA writes it in capitals and removes private details.

Narrative: pilot stated he had landed N65985 and parked it in the parking lot of the real estate company at high meadow ranch. He was away from the aircraft for approximately 30 minutes and when he returned, the aricraft would not start. The battery appeared to be dead. He got out of the airplane and checked under the engine cowling for loose wires or any other visible signs of trouble. He found none, then he decided to reposition the propeller and the engine started. The aircraft began to move under it's own power and he could not catch up with it to stop it and it hit a wood fence which folded the nose gear and stopped the airplane. He thought all this was very strange since he had the airplane ignition key in his pocket at the time. According to a witness statement, there was no one in the aircraft when it impacted the wood fence. The pilot had started the engine by pulling on the propeller and he was not able to catch up with the airplane once the engine started. Therefore, this is being reported as an incident.

As the FAA filed it

NARRATIVE: PILOT STATED HE HAD LANDED N65985 AND PARKED IT IN THE PARKING LOT OF THE REAL ESTATE COMPANY AT HIGH MEADOW RANCH. HE WAS AWAY FROM THE AIRCRAFT FOR APPROXIMATELY 30 MINUTES AND WHEN HE RETURNED, THE ARICRAFT WOULD NOT START. THE BATTERY APPEARED TO BE DEAD. HE GOT OUT OF THE AIRPLANE AND CHECKED UNDER THE ENGINE COWLING FOR LOOSE WIRES OR ANY OTHER VISIBLE SIGNS OF TROUBLE. HE FOUND NONE, THEN HE DECIDED TO REPOSITION THE PROPELLER AND THE ENGINE STARTED. THE AIRCRAFT BEGAN TO MOVE UNDER IT'S OWN POWER AND HE COULD NOT CATCH UP WITH IT TO STOP IT AND IT HIT A WOOD FENCE WHICH FOLDED THE NOSE GEAR AND STOPPED THE AIRPLANE. HE THOUGHT ALL THIS WAS VERY STRANGE SINCE HE HAD THE AIRPLANE IGNITION KEY IN HIS POCKET AT THE TIME. ACCORDING TO A WITNESS STATEMENT, THERE WAS NO ONE IN THE AIRCRAFT WHEN IT IMPACTED THE WOOD FENCE. THE PILOT HAD STARTED THE ENGINE BY PULLING ON THE PROPELLER AND HE WAS NOT ABLE TO CATCH UP WITH THE AIRPLANE ONCE THE ENGINE STARTED. THEREFORE, THIS IS BEING REPORTED AS AN INCIDENT.