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20140130003239I

Incident · Substantial damage
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FAA incident report · Quad City Ultralight Acft CHALLENGER II · Lodi, CA · January 30, 2014

FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal

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Date
January 30, 2014 · 11:00 local
Place
Lodi, CA
Phase of flight
Other, Specify
Operating rules
General operating rules (Part 91)
Damage
Substantial damage
Aircraft
N7999C
Reported as
Quad City Ultralight Acft Challenger II
Reported engine
ROTAX 503 DCDI
People aboard
1
Fatal injuries
0
Other injuries
0
Pilot’s certificate
Student
Pilot’s flight hours
170 total74 in this make and model4 in the last 90 days
N7999CRegistration cancelled Feb 28, 2020 · Quad City Ultralight Acft CHALLENGER IIS/N CH2-0298-1716 · Built 1999Airframe modelQuad City Ultralight Acft CHALLENGER IIEngine modelRotax 503 DCDI2 cycle

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.

Student pilot preflighted his aircraft and fueled the aircraft in his hangar.

He pulled the aircraft out to the front of his hanger facing south towards the taxiway and set the brakes. He went through the aircraft check list and attempted to start the aircraft. He made several attempts however the battery had insufficent power to start the aircraft enging. The student pilot then decided to hand prop to start the engine.

He set the brakes and he believes he moved the throttle to the retarded position but could not recall that the he moved the throttle to the closed position.

He then went to the rear of the aircraft to hand prop the engine.

After one pull of the prop the engine started and the aircraft began to bounce forward. The pilot attempted to run around to the cockpit, however the aircraft continued on a course towards the ramp and continued to bounce.

The student pilot ran after the aircraft and was unable to control the aircraft. The aircraft launched into the air in a steep climb just north of the beginning of the runway and headed towards the hangars and aircraft parked on the other side or the runway. The aircraft stalled in a steep climb and looped back down towards the other side of the runway ramp area impacting the ramp approximately 10 feet from the front of a DC-3 parked on the ramp. The impact caused significant damage to the aircraft. No colateral damage to any other aircraft or structures occurred.

The student pilot did not intend to fly. He was only going to taxi the aircraft to the location where he would meet his certified flight instructor (CFI) and shut down the engine for further training prior to flying the aircraft to continue his training.

As the FAA filed it

STUDENT PILOT PREFLIGHTED HIS AIRCRAFT AND FUELED THE AIRCRAFT IN HIS HANGAR.

HE PULLED THE AIRCRAFT OUT TO THE FRONT OF HIS HANGER FACING SOUTH TOWARDS THE TAXIWAY AND SET THE BRAKES. HE WENT THROUGH THE AIRCRAFT CHECK LIST AND ATTEMPTED TO START THE AIRCRAFT. HE MADE SEVERAL ATTEMPTS HOWEVER THE BATTERY HAD INSUFFICENT POWER TO START THE AIRCRAFT ENGING. THE STUDENT PILOT THEN DECIDED TO HAND PROP TO START THE ENGINE.

HE SET THE BRAKES AND HE BELIEVES HE MOVED THE THROTTLE TO THE RETARDED POSITION BUT COULD NOT RECALL THAT THE HE MOVED THE THROTTLE TO THE CLOSED POSITION.

HE THEN WENT TO THE REAR OF THE AIRCRAFT TO HAND PROP THE ENGINE.

AFTER ONE PULL OF THE PROP THE ENGINE STARTED AND THE AIRCRAFT BEGAN TO BOUNCE FORWARD. THE PILOT ATTEMPTED TO RUN AROUND TO THE COCKPIT, HOWEVER THE AIRCRAFT CONTINUED ON A COURSE TOWARDS THE RAMP AND CONTINUED TO BOUNCE.

THE STUDENT PILOT RAN AFTER THE AIRCRAFT AND WAS UNABLE TO CONTROL THE AIRCRAFT. THE AIRCRAFT LAUNCHED INTO THE AIR IN A STEEP CLIMB JUST NORTH OF THE BEGINNING OF THE RUNWAY AND HEADED TOWARDS THE HANGARS AND AIRCRAFT PARKED ON THE OTHER SIDE OR THE RUNWAY. THE AIRCRAFT STALLED IN A STEEP CLIMB AND LOOPED BACK DOWN TOWARDS THE OTHER SIDE OF THE RUNWAY RAMP AREA IMPACTING THE RAMP APPROXIMATELY 10 FEET FROM THE FRONT OF A DC-3 PARKED ON THE RAMP. THE IMPACT CAUSED SIGNIFICANT DAMAGE TO THE AIRCRAFT. NO COLATERAL DAMAGE TO ANY OTHER AIRCRAFT OR STRUCTURES OCCURRED.

THE STUDENT PILOT DID NOT INTEND TO FLY. HE WAS ONLY GOING TO TAXI THE AIRCRAFT TO THE LOCATION WHERE HE WOULD MEET HIS CERTIFIED FLIGHT INSTRUCTOR (CFI) AND SHUT DOWN THE ENGINE FOR FURTHER TRAINING PRIOR TO FLYING THE AIRCRAFT TO CONTINUE HIS TRAINING.