20091204053641I

Incident · Substantial damage

FAA incident report · Varga Aircr 2150A · Livermore, CA · December 4, 2009

Date: December 4, 2009 · 16:00 local
Place: Livermore, CA
Airport: Livermore Municipal
Phase of flight: Ground/Ramp/Ma
Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
Collision: Collision on the ground
Damage: Substantial damage
Aircraft: N5073V
Reported as: Varga Aircr 2150A
Reported engine: Lycoming 0-320 series
People aboard: 1
Fatal injuries: 0
Other injuries: 0
Pilot’s certificate: Private pilot
Pilot’s flight hours: 4,723 total237 in this make and model1 in the last 90 days

N5073VRegistered now · Varga 2150AS/N VAC-62-76 · Built 1976 Airframe modelVarga 2150A Engine modelLycoming 0-320 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.

1) Pilot was alone.2) battery was too low to use starter and he didn't want to take time to replace or charge the battery.3) pilot set the parking brake and chalked main tires.4) "cracked" throttle open and turned the magnetos on.5) pilot hand-propped the airplane and it started.6) the engine accelerated, the parking brake did not hold, and the aircraft jumped over the chalks.7) pilot stumbled and fell away from the oncoming propeller.8) pilot attempted to get up and was struck in the forhead with the left wing.9) pilot saw wing pass over his head.10) the next thing the pilot observed was his Varga braking left and hitting a parked Mooney M20C.11) the Varga propeller entered the left leading edge of the Mooney, swung the left wing of the Varga into the propeller spinner of the Mooney, and finally came to rest with the left wing imbedded into the Mooney's left cowling.

As the FAA filed it

1) PILOT WAS ALONE.2) BATTERY WAS TOO LOW TO USE STARTER AND HE DIDN'T WANT TO TAKE TIME TO REPLACE OR CHARGE THE BATTERY.3) PILOT SET THE PARKING BRAKE AND CHALKED MAIN TIRES.4) "CRACKED" THROTTLE OPEN AND TURNED THE MAGNETOS ON.5) PILOT HAND-PROPPED THE AIRPLANE AND IT STARTED.6) THE ENGINE ACCELERATED, THE PARKING BRAKE DID NOT HOLD, AND THE AIRCRAFT JUMPED OVER THE CHALKS.7) PILOT STUMBLED AND FELL AWAY FROM THE ONCOMING PROPELLER.8) PILOT ATTEMPTED TO GET UP AND WAS STRUCK IN THE FORHEAD WITH THE LEFT WING.9) PILOT SAW WING PASS OVER HIS HEAD.10) THE NEXT THING THE PILOT OBSERVED WAS HIS VARGA BRAKING LEFT AND HITTING A PARKED MOONEY M20C.11) THE VARGA PROPELLER ENTERED THE LEFT LEADING EDGE OF THE MOONEY, SWUNG THE LEFT WING OF THE VARGA INTO THE PROPELLER SPINNER OF THE MOONEY, AND FINALLY CAME TO REST WITH THE LEFT WING IMBEDDED INTO THE MOONEY'S LEFT COWLING.