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20250327003229A

Accident · Substantial damage
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FAA accident report · Cessna 175 · Rifle, CO · March 27, 2025

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Date
March 27, 2025 · 10:00 local
Place
Rifle, CO
Airport
Rifle Garfield County Airport
Phase of flight
Ground/Ramp/Ma
Operating rules
General operating rules (Part 91)
Damage
Substantial damage
Aircraft
N9310B
Reported as
Cessna 175
Reported engine
Continental GO-300 series
People aboard
1
Fatal injuries
0
Other injuries
0
Pilot’s certificate
Private pilot
Pilot’s flight hours
1,520 total500 in this make and model12 in the last 90 days
N9310BRegistered now · Cessna 175S/N 55110 · Built 1958Airframe modelCessna 175Engine modelContinental GO-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 pilot refueled the airplane at the self-service fuel pump located at Rifle Garfield County Airport (kril). After refueling the aircraft, the pilot repositioned the airplane to the ramp for startup. The pilot stated that he attempted to start the aircraft but the aircraft would not start. The pilot called a mechanic to discuss options on how to get the aircraft started. The pilot decided to start the aircraft manually by turning the propeller by hand. The pilot stated he chocked the wheels of the aircraft and set the parking brake prior to hand starting the aircraft. He then began to turn the propeller to start the aircraft. The aircraft started and the pilot stated that the propeller immediately went to high RPM. Immediately after starting the aircraft, the pilot reported that the aircraft jumped the wheel chocks and began rolling forward. The aircraft rolled into a parked Cessna 171 airplane and then hit a hangar damaging a Piper malibu airplane parked in the hangar.

As the FAA filed it

THE PILOT REFUELED THE AIRPLANE AT THE SELF-SERVICE FUEL PUMP LOCATED AT RIFLE GARFIELD COUNTY AIRPORT (KRIL). AFTER REFUELING THE AIRCRAFT, THE PILOT REPOSITIONED THE AIRPLANE TO THE RAMP FOR STARTUP. THE PILOT STATED THAT HE ATTEMPTED TO START THE AIRCRAFT BUT THE AIRCRAFT WOULD NOT START. THE PILOT CALLED A MECHANIC TO DISCUSS OPTIONS ON HOW TO GET THE AIRCRAFT STARTED. THE PILOT DECIDED TO START THE AIRCRAFT MANUALLY BY TURNING THE PROPELLER BY HAND. THE PILOT STATED HE CHOCKED THE WHEELS OF THE AIRCRAFT AND SET THE PARKING BRAKE PRIOR TO HAND STARTING THE AIRCRAFT. HE THEN BEGAN TO TURN THE PROPELLER TO START THE AIRCRAFT. THE AIRCRAFT STARTED AND THE PILOT STATED THAT THE PROPELLER IMMEDIATELY WENT TO HIGH RPM. IMMEDIATELY AFTER STARTING THE AIRCRAFT, THE PILOT REPORTED THAT THE AIRCRAFT JUMPED THE WHEEL CHOCKS AND BEGAN ROLLING FORWARD. THE AIRCRAFT ROLLED INTO A PARKED CESSNA 171 AIRPLANE AND THEN HIT A HANGAR DAMAGING A PIPER MALIBU AIRPLANE PARKED IN THE HANGAR.