19980603028439A

Accident · Minor damage

FAA accident report · Piper PA-30 · Everett, WA · June 3, 1998

Date
June 3, 1998 · 17:32 local
Place
Everett, WA
Airport
Snohomish County - Paine Fld
Phase of flight
Idling Engines
Operating rules
General operating rules (Part 91)
Damage
Minor damage
Aircraft
N98NT
NTSB investigation
NTSBSEA98LA085
Reported as
Piper PA30
Reported engine
Lycoming IO320B1A
People aboard
1
Fatal injuries
1
Pilot’s flight hours
14,000 total

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.

(.4)The pilot taxied the twin engine PA-30 (90 gallon fuel capacity) to a self service fueling island. There, he fueled the aircraft with 58.15 gallons of fuel at 1503. The aircraft was taxied back to the pilot's hangar area. Sometime thereafter, the pilot had used a jumper cable to connect the battery of his car to the aircraft's electrical system at the power receptacle located on the left side of the nose. Approximately 1732, with both engines running, the pilot exited the aircraft to remove the chock from the nose-wheel during which the aircraft rolled forward (east) and eventually impacted a parked Cessna primarily along its leading edge of the right wing. The PA-30'S right engine stopped upon wing contact, and the momentum carried both aircraft in a clockwise arc a short distance southeast. The PA-30'S left engine continued running after the collision. At a point consistent with the PA-30'S initial contact with the Cessna, a pool of blood identified the spot were the pilot was first struck by the PA-30'S left propeller. He drug himself under the PA-30 and into a 4:30 position stopping at a point close to the nose-wheel chock which was entangled in the jumper cables. A witness who spoke with the pilot reported that he remarked that 'I knew better, (unknown) was not removed, and the wind caught me.' The pilot was airlifted to a major hospital and expired approximately 10 hours later. (-23) it appears the pilot started the aircraft with external power, then while disconnecting the external power and/or removing the chocks, lost control of the aircraft. The aircraft was stopped by a collision with a 2nd parked aircraft. The pilot was fatally wounded by the left propeller after the right wing and engine struck a parked aircraft.

As the FAA filed it

(.4)THE PILOT TAXIED THE TWIN ENGINE PA-30 (90 GALLON FUEL CAPACITY) TO A SELF SERVICE FUELING ISLAND. THERE, HE FUELED THE AIRCRAFT WITH 58.15 GALLONS OF FUEL AT 1503. THE AIRCRAFT WAS TAXIED BACK TO THE PILOT'S HANGAR AREA. SOMETIME THEREAFTER, THE PILOT HAD USED A JUMPER CABLE TO CONNECT THE BATTERY OF HIS CAR TO THE AIRCRAFT'S ELECTRICAL SYSTEM AT THE POWER RECEPTACLE LOCATED ON THE LEFT SIDE OF THE NOSE. APPROXIMATELY 1732, WITH BOTH ENGINES RUNNING, THE PILOT EXITED THE AIRCRAFT TO REMOVE THE CHOCK FROM THE NOSE-WHEEL DURING WHICH THE AIRCRAFT ROLLED FORWARD (EAST) AND EVENTUALLY IMPACTED A PARKED CESSNA PRIMARILY ALONG ITS LEADING EDGE OF THE RIGHT WING. THE PA-30'S RIGHT ENGINE STOPPED UPON WING CONTACT, AND THE MOMENTUM CARRIED BOTH AIRCRAFT IN A CLOCKWISE ARC A SHORT DISTANCE SOUTHEAST. THE PA-30'S LEFT ENGINE CONTINUED RUNNING AFTER THE COLLISION. AT A POINT CONSISTENT WITH THE PA-30'S INITIAL CONTACT WITH THE CESSNA, A POOL OF BLOOD IDENTIFIED THE SPOT WERE THE PILOT WAS FIRST STRUCK BY THE PA-30'S LEFT PROPELLER. HE DRUG HIMSELF UNDER THE PA-30 AND INTO A 4:30 POSITION STOPPING AT A POINT CLOSE TO THE NOSE-WHEEL CHOCK WHICH WAS ENTANGLED IN THE JUMPER CABLES. A WITNESS WHO SPOKE WITH THE PILOT REPORTED THAT HE REMARKED THAT 'I KNEW BETTER, (UNKNOWN) WAS NOT REMOVED, AND THE WIND CAUGHT ME.' THE PILOT WAS AIRLIFTED TO A MAJOR HOSPITAL AND EXPIRED APPROXIMATELY 10 HOURS LATER. (-23) IT APPEARS THE PILOT STARTED THE AIRCRAFT WITH EXTERNAL POWER, THEN WHILE DISCONNECTING THE EXTERNAL POWER AND/OR REMOVING THE CHOCKS, LOST CONTROL OF THE AIRCRAFT. THE AIRCRAFT WAS STOPPED BY A COLLISION WITH A 2ND PARKED AIRCRAFT. THE PILOT WAS FATALLY WOUNDED BY THE LEFT PROPELLER AFTER THE RIGHT WING AND ENGINE STRUCK A PARKED AIRCRAFT.

NTSB investigation

The NTSB’s investigation of this event, with its probable cause and findings. Matched to this report by N-number and date.