20221029019702A

Accident · Substantial damage

FAA accident report · Stephen J Hoffman MS-500 · Houston, TX · October 29, 2022

Date
October 29, 2022 · 12:30 local
Place
Houston, TX
Airport
Ellington Field
Phase of flight
Ground/Ramp/Ma
Operating rules
General operating rules (Part 91)
Collision
Collision on the ground
Damage
Substantial damage
Aircraft
N778MS
NTSB investigation
NTSBCEN23LA023
Reported as
Stephen J Hoffman MS-500
Reported engine
ARGUS AS10-P
People aboard
1
Fatal injuries
0
Other injuries
1
Pilot’s certificate
Private pilot
Pilot’s flight hours
500 total57 in this make and model5 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.

Iic statement: there were several eyewitnesses to the accident and this statement has excerpts from their observations and pilot statement.

The pilot of privacy data omitted conducted a normal preflight in preparation of flying with a group of trainer and observation airplanes at the Houston airshow. privacy data omitted Was in the back row of the parking area on the west side of the ramp. The pilot stated the weather was cool overnight and the oil in the engine was more viscous than usual. The pilot tried to start the aircraft when all electrical power was lost. The pilot stated he turned off all switches and exited the aircraft. He opened the aft compartment behind the cockpit and discovered the main circuit breaker popped and he left it in that condition. The pilot retrieved the hand crank with the intention of turning over the engine several revolutions to loosen the oil. The pilot turned the engine over several revolutions and it started. The chocks were removed earlier in preparation for the flight and the airplane began to move. Several ground personnel along with the pilot grabbed the airplane in an attempt to stop it. The pilot was moving backwards while attempting to stop the airplane and stumbled to the ground. He received minor injuries with a small cut on the head and scraped knee. Ground personnel reported minor injuries with scrapes and road rash.

privacy data omitted Proceeded westbound gaining speed toward two aircraft parked next to the taxiway. The aircraft continued a strait path continuing east colliding with a parked B-25 privacy data omitted and an A-26 privacy data omitted. privacy data omitted Struck the B-25 first. The left wing of privacy data omitted hit and went over the top of the left wing of the A-26. The aircraft passed between the wing tips of the B-25 and A-26. privacy data omitted’S right wing passed over the A-26 and hung up on the number 1 engine propeller initiating a right 270-degree ground loop. That caused the left wing of privacy data omitted to hang up on the top wing of the A-26. The right main landing gear wheel broke off privacy data omitted stopping the aircraft but the engine was still running. A crewmember from the A-26 reached in the cockpit and pulled the throttle back. The crewmember stated the throttle was about 50 percent of its travel.

As the FAA filed it

IIC STATEMENT: THERE WERE SEVERAL EYEWITNESSES TO THE ACCIDENT AND THIS STATEMENT HAS EXCERPTS FROM THEIR OBSERVATIONS AND PILOT STATEMENT.

THE PILOT OF ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ CONDUCTED A NORMAL PREFLIGHT IN PREPARATION OF FLYING WITH A GROUP OF TRAINER AND OBSERVATION AIRPLANES AT THE HOUSTON AIRSHOW. ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ WAS IN THE BACK ROW OF THE PARKING AREA ON THE WEST SIDE OF THE RAMP. THE PILOT STATED THE WEATHER WAS COOL OVERNIGHT AND THE OIL IN THE ENGINE WAS MORE VISCOUS THAN USUAL. THE PILOT TRIED TO START THE AIRCRAFT WHEN ALL ELECTRICAL POWER WAS LOST. THE PILOT STATED HE TURNED OFF ALL SWITCHES AND EXITED THE AIRCRAFT. HE OPENED THE AFT COMPARTMENT BEHIND THE COCKPIT AND DISCOVERED THE MAIN CIRCUIT BREAKER POPPED AND HE LEFT IT IN THAT CONDITION. THE PILOT RETRIEVED THE HAND CRANK WITH THE INTENTION OF TURNING OVER THE ENGINE SEVERAL REVOLUTIONS TO LOOSEN THE OIL. THE PILOT TURNED THE ENGINE OVER SEVERAL REVOLUTIONS AND IT STARTED. THE CHOCKS WERE REMOVED EARLIER IN PREPARATION FOR THE FLIGHT AND THE AIRPLANE BEGAN TO MOVE. SEVERAL GROUND PERSONNEL ALONG WITH THE PILOT GRABBED THE AIRPLANE IN AN ATTEMPT TO STOP IT. THE PILOT WAS MOVING BACKWARDS WHILE ATTEMPTING TO STOP THE AIRPLANE AND STUMBLED TO THE GROUND. HE RECEIVED MINOR INJURIES WITH A SMALL CUT ON THE HEAD AND SCRAPED KNEE.GROUND PERSONNEL REPORTED MINOR INJURIES WITH SCRAPES AND ROAD RASH.

^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ PROCEEDED WESTBOUND GAINING SPEED TOWARD TWO AIRCRAFT PARKED NEXT TO THE TAXIWAY. THE AIRCRAFT CONTINUED A STRAIT PATH CONTINUING EAST COLLIDING WITH A PARKED B-25 ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ AND AN A-26 ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^. ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ STRUCK THE B-25 FIRST. THE LEFT WING OF ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ HIT AND WENT OVER THE TOP OF THE LEFT WING OF THE A-26. THE AIRCRAFT PASSED BETWEEN THE WING TIPS OF THE B-25 AND A-26. ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^’S RIGHT WING PASSED OVER THE A-26 AND HUNG UP ON THE NUMBER 1 ENGINE PROPELLER INITIATING A RIGHT 270-DEGREE GROUND LOOP. THAT CAUSED THE LEFT WING OF ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ TO HANG UP ON THE TOP WING OF THE A-26. THE RIGHT MAIN LANDING GEAR WHEEL BROKE OFF ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ STOPPING THE AIRCRAFT BUT THE ENGINE WAS STILL RUNNING. A CREWMEMBER FROM THE A-26 REACHED IN THE COCKPIT AND PULLED THE THROTTLE BACK. THE CREWMEMBER STATED THE THROTTLE WAS ABOUT 50 PERCENT OF ITS TRAVEL.

NTSB investigation

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

Other aircraft in the event · 1

Each aircraft in a collision has its own report.