20120403010939A

Accident · Substantial damage

FAA accident report · Cessna 172 · Johnson Valley, CA · April 3, 2012

Date: April 3, 2012 · 08:00 local
Place: Johnson Valley, CA
Airport: Valley Vista
Phase of flight: Ground/Ramp/Ma
Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
Damage: Substantial damage
Aircraft: N6749A
NTSB investigation: NTSBWPR12CA153
Reported as: Cessna 172
Reported engine: Continental 0-300 series
People aboard: 2
Fatal injuries: 0
Other injuries: 1
Pilot’s certificate: Private pilot
Pilot’s flight hours: 3,400 total300 in this make and model1 in the last 90 days

N6749ARegistered now · Cessna 172S/N 28849 Airframe modelCessna 172 Engine modelContinental 0-300 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.

The aircraft would not start on battery power. The pilot chose to start the aircraft by hand propping with the passenger holding the brakes. The aircraft started, accelerated, traveled crossed the e-w runway approximately 230 feet, went through a low hedgerow and stopped on impact with a solar array structure. The pilot was outside the airplane and not injured. The passenger in the aircraft received a minor cut on his head.

As the FAA filed it

THE AIRCRAFT WOULD NOT START ON BATTERY POWER. THE PILOT CHOSE TO START THE AIRCRAFT BY HAND PROPPING WITH THE PASSENGER HOLDING THE BRAKES. THE AIRCRAFT STARTED, ACCELERATED, TRAVELED CROSSED THE E-W RUNWAY APPROXIMATELY 230 FEET, WENT THROUGH A LOW HEDGEROW AND STOPPED ON IMPACT WITH A SOLAR ARRAY STRUCTURE. THE PILOT WAS OUTSIDE THE AIRPLANE AND NOT INJURED. THE PASSENGER IN THE AIRCRAFT RECEIVED A MINOR CUT ON HIS HEAD.

NTSB investigation

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

NTSB WPR12CA153Accident · Minor injuriesData collectionFinal reportJohnson Valley, CAThe pilot did not properly secure the airplane prior to rotating the propeller by hand, resulting in inadvertent movement of the airplane.Apr 3, 2012 · Substantial damage