20210118000449I

Incident · Minor damage

FAA incident report · Taylorcraft BC12-D · Lexington, OR · January 18, 2021

Date
January 18, 2021 · 13:00 local
Place
Lexington, OR
Airport
Lexington
Phase of flight
Ground/Ramp/Ma
Operating rules
General operating rules (Part 91)
Damage
Minor damage
Aircraft
N43457
Reported as
Taylorcraft BC12-D
Reported engine
Continental A&C65 series
People aboard
1
Fatal injuries
0
Other injuries
1
Pilot’s certificates
Commercial pilot, flight instructor
Pilot’s flight hours
1,824 total21 in this make and model127 in the last 90 days

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.

As stated by the pilot, just after fueling, the pilot chocked the front left tire with attached rope routed through the pilot side window and tied to the yoke. Then canted the rear tire wheel 90 degrees perpendicular so when engine starts pressure is applied to the left front tire. The pilot, turned on fuel, both mags, walked around to the front right side of the cowling behind prop. Pulled the propeller through approximately seven times without starting the engine. The pilot then went inside cockpit and push throttle lever all the way forward full power and back all the way to idle then crack the throttle approximately 1/16TH of an inch. Then went to the original starting location and proceeded to pull the prop through, the engine started with a higher than normal RPM, guessing rpm's to be between 800-1000 rpm's, the aircraft started to go forward and turning left, holding it back with his hands on the right wing strut. With no additional help available the pilot decide to duck under the strut while holding on. When he does it gains momentum and jumps the left wheel chock and proceeds to go forward. He still has a hold of the strut and running while opening the door tries to lunge for the throttle and just missed it as he fell face forward to the ground bruising his nose and chipping three front teeth. The unmanned aircraft taxis between the taxi markers turns left in between the runway and taxiway as it proceeds to go around in circles the left between the taxiway and runway. The pilot took off his jacket bunched it up and after three attempts or so he managed to hit the prop to try and stop the engine with no avail. After emergency personnel arrived, two individuals had an idea to get a long rope string it across where the plane was circling, hook both ends up to two trucks. When the main tires cleared they pulled the rope tight, caught the tail and stopped the airplane, the pilot then was able to get inside the cockpit and pulled back the throttle and turned the keys off.

As the FAA filed it

AS STATED BY THE PILOT, JUST AFTER FUELING, THE PILOT CHOCKED THE FRONT LEFT TIRE WITH ATTACHED ROPE ROUTED THROUGH THE PILOT SIDE WINDOW AND TIED TO THE YOKE. THEN CANTED THE REAR TIRE WHEEL 90 DEGREES PERPENDICULAR SO WHEN ENGINE STARTS PRESSURE IS APPLIED TO THE LEFT FRONT TIRE. THE PILOT, TURNED ON FUEL, BOTH MAGS, WALKED AROUND TO THE FRONT RIGHT SIDE OF THE COWLING BEHIND PROP. PULLED THE PROPELLER THROUGH APPROXIMATELY SEVEN TIMES WITHOUT STARTING THE ENGINE. THE PILOT THEN WENT INSIDE COCKPIT AND PUSH THROTTLE LEVER ALL THE WAY FORWARD FULL POWER AND BACK ALL THE WAY TO IDLE THEN CRACK THE THROTTLE APPROXIMATELY 1/16TH OF AN INCH. THEN WENT TO THE ORIGINAL STARTING LOCATION AND PROCEEDED TO PULL THE PROP THROUGH, THE ENGINE STARTED WITH A HIGHER THAN NORMAL RPM, GUESSING RPM'S TO BE BETWEEN 800-1000 RPM'S, THE AIRCRAFT STARTED TO GO FORWARD AND TURNING LEFT, HOLDING IT BACK WITH HIS HANDS ON THE RIGHT WING STRUT. WITH NO ADDITIONAL HELP AVAILABLE THE PILOT DECIDE TO DUCK UNDER THE STRUT WHILE HOLDING ON. WHEN HE DOES IT GAINS MOMENTUM AND JUMPS THE LEFT WHEEL CHOCK AND PROCEEDS TO GO FORWARD. HE STILL HAS A HOLD OF THE STRUT AND RUNNING WHILE OPENING THE DOOR TRIES TO LUNGE FOR THE THROTTLE AND JUST MISSED IT AS HE FELL FACE FORWARD TO THE GROUND BRUISING HIS NOSE AND CHIPPING THREE FRONT TEETH. THE UNMANNED AIRCRAFT TAXIS BETWEEN THE TAXI MARKERS TURNS LEFT IN BETWEEN THE RUNWAY AND TAXIWAY AS IT PROCEEDS TO GO AROUND IN CIRCLES THE LEFT BETWEEN THE TAXIWAY AND RUNWAY. THE PILOT TOOK OFF HIS JACKET BUNCHED IT UP AND AFTER THREE ATTEMPTS OR SO HE MANAGED TO HIT THE PROP TO TRY AND STOP THE ENGINE WITH NO AVAIL. AFTER EMERGENCY PERSONNEL ARRIVED, TWO INDIVIDUALS HAD AN IDEA TO GET A LONG ROPE STRING IT ACROSS WHERE THE PLANE WAS CIRCLING, HOOK BOTH ENDS UP TO TWO TRUCKS. WHEN THE MAIN TIRES CLEARED THEY PULLED THE ROPE TIGHT, CAUGHT THE TAIL AND STOPPED THE AIRPLANE, THE PILOT THEN WAS ABLE TO GET INSIDE THE COCKPIT AND PULLED BACK THE THROTTLE AND TURNED THE KEYS OFF.