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20131203026099I

Incident · Substantial damage
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FAA incident report · Cessna 172S · Manville, NJ · December 3, 2013

FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal

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Date
December 3, 2013 · 09:31 local
Place
Manville, NJ
Airport
Central Jersey Regional
Phase of flight
Other, Specify
Operating rules
General operating rules (Part 91)
Damage
Substantial damage
Aircraft
N569LP
Reported as
Cessna 172S
Reported engine
Lycoming I0360 SER A&C
People aboard
3
Fatal injuries
0
Other injuries
0
Pilot’s certificate
Private pilot
Pilot’s flight hours
602 total541 in this make and model
N569LPRegistration cancelled Oct 31, 2020 · Cessna 172SS/N 172S8248 · Built 1999Airframe modelCessna 172SEngine modelLycoming I0360 SER A&CReciprocating

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 pilot had not flown the aircraft for over a year. He was preparing to taxi the aircraft for a non-certificated pilot friend, not for the purpose of flight. He had just completed adding fuel to the aircraft for this purpose. Since the starter ring gear was stripped, it would be necessary for him to manually start the aircraft. He placed the non-pilot friend in the left seat (ls). He discussed ls procedures and hand signals for a manual start with him. The pilot then got out of the aircraft and, looking through the wind screen, beleived he had received a hand signal indicating the parking brake and throttle were properly set as previously briefed. The wheels were not chocked. He began to manually start the engine by "propping" the aircraft. After several rotations of the engine, it started. The pilot was walking to the left front side of the plane when the engine accellerated and the plane began moving forward. The plane continued forward, the pilot ducked underneath the wing/strut, and the plane continued straight ahead, striking a prius motor vehicle parked alongside a hangar before it came to a stop. The pilot thinks miscommunication of handsignals resulted in the parking brake/throttle not properly set prior to engine start.

As the FAA filed it

THE PILOT HAD NOT FLOWN THE AIRCRAFT FOR OVER A YEAR. HE WAS PREPARING TO TAXI THE AIRCRAFT FOR A NON-CERTIFICATED PILOT FRIEND, NOT FOR THE PURPOSE OF FLIGHT. HE HAD JUST COMPLETED ADDING FUEL TO THE AIRCRAFT FOR THIS PURPOSE. SINCE THE STARTER RING GEAR WAS STRIPPED, IT WOULD BE NECESSARY FOR HIM TO MANUALLY START THE AIRCRAFT. HE PLACED THE NON-PILOT FRIEND IN THE LEFT SEAT (LS). HE DISCUSSED LS PROCEDURES AND HAND SIGNALS FOR A MANUAL START WITH HIM. THE PILOT THEN GOT OUT OF THE AIRCRAFT AND, LOOKING THROUGH THE WIND SCREEN, BELEIVED HE HAD RECEIVED A HAND SIGNAL INDICATING THE PARKING BRAKE AND THROTTLE WERE PROPERLY SET AS PREVIOUSLY BRIEFED. THE WHEELS WERE NOT CHOCKED. HE BEGAN TO MANUALLY START THE ENGINE BY "PROPPING" THE AIRCRAFT. AFTER SEVERAL ROTATIONS OF THE ENGINE, IT STARTED. THE PILOT WAS WALKING TO THE LEFT FRONT SIDE OF THE PLANE WHEN THE ENGINE ACCELLERATED AND THE PLANE BEGAN MOVING FORWARD. THE PLANE CONTINUED FORWARD, THE PILOT DUCKED UNDERNEATH THE WING/STRUT, AND THE PLANE CONTINUED STRAIGHT AHEAD, STRIKING A PRIUS MOTOR VEHICLE PARKED ALONGSIDE A HANGAR BEFORE IT CAME TO A STOP. THE PILOT THINKS MISCOMMUNICATION OF HANDSIGNALS RESULTED IN THE PARKING BRAKE/THROTTLE NOT PROPERLY SET PRIOR TO ENGINE START.