# NTSB ANC02LA031: Cessna 172, N6475E, Fairbanks, AK, May 11, 2002 - Type: NTSB accident investigation - Classification: Accident · No injuries · Limited investigation · Final report - Date: May 10, 2002, 17:30 local (May 11, 2002, 01:30 UTC) - Place: Fairbanks, AK - Coordinates: 64.813613, -147.859725 - Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=64.8136&lon=-147.8597&mi=10 - Phase of flight: [Standing](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-phases/150) (OpenAirDocs' grouping) - Highest injury: No injuries - Injuries: 1 uninjured - Status: Completed, report August 26, 2002 - Report: Approved by Office Director - NTSB office: Alaska Regional Office - Parties: FAA Fairbanks FSDO-01 - NTSB case key (mKey): 54670 - NTSB case page: https://web.ntsb.gov/investigations/?ntsbnumber=ANC02LA031 - NTSB report (PDF, downloads): https://data.ntsb.gov/carol-repgen/api/Aviation/ReportMain/GenerateNewestReport/54670/pdf - NTSB docket: https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket?ProjectID=54670 - Page: https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/ANC02LA031 ## Probable cause The pilots improper starting procedure. Factors associated with the accident are the continued operation of the airplane with a known mechanical deficiency, and failure to use wheel chocks and/or tie-down rope/straps to restrain the airplane during the engine starting procedure. ## Sequence of events In NTSB's coding before 2008 (https://www.ntsb.gov/GILS/Documents/codman.pdf). - On ground/water collision with object, standing - starting engine(s) - wheel chocks - not used, pilot in command (contributing factor) - object - hangar/airport building - ground tie-down rope/strap - not used, pilot in command (contributing factor) - operation with known deficiencies in equipment - continued, pilot in command (contributing factor) - starting procedure - improper, pilot in command (cause) ## Analysis The pilot was preparing for a flight to his home airport. He had been having problems with the airplane's starter not engaging, and decided to hand-prop the airplane as he had done in the past. The airplane was not chocked or tied down. When the engine started the airplane surged forward, and the pilot was not able to physically hold the airplane. The airplane accelerated across the ramp and collided with a hangar. The airplane's right wing leading edge, ribs, and spar were damaged, as was the fuselage aft of the passenger compartment. There were no injuries associated with the accident. ## Factual narrative On May 10, 2002, about 1730 Alaska daylight time, a Cessna 172 airplane, N6475E, sustained substantial damage during an engine starting procedure at the Fairbanks International Airport, Fairbanks, Alaska. The airplane was being operated as a visual flight rules (VFR) personal flight under Title 14, CFR Part 91, when the accident occurred. There were no passengers aboard the airplane, and the private pilot was not injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time of the accident. Koyukuk, Alaska, was the intended destination of the flight. During a telephone conversation with the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) investigator-in-charge (IIC), on May 10, the pilot said he had been having problems with the airplane's starter not engaging. He said he was attempting to start the engine in preparation for a flight to Koyukuk. There was no one at the controls, and the airplane was not chocked or tied-down, but the parking brake was set, when he attempted to start the engine by hand-propping. He said when the engine started, the parking brake was not able to keep the airplane stopped. The pilot was unable to physically hold the airplane, and it accelerated across the ramp and collided with a hangar. The hangar was damaged, and the airplane's right wing leading edge, ribs, and spar were damaged. The fuselage aft of the passenger compartment was also damaged. There were no injuries caused by the accident. ## Aircraft - Registration: [N6475E](https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N6475E-2002-07-16), registration cancelled 2002-07-16, S/N 46575, built 1959 (OpenAirDocs) - Reported make and model: Cessna 172 - Registry model: [Cessna 172](https://openairdocs.org/model/cessna-172) (registry code 2072402) (OpenAirDocs) - Registry engine: [Continental 0-300 series](https://openairdocs.org/engine/continental-0-300-series) (registry code 17022, reciprocating) (OpenAirDocs) - Category: Airplane - Serial number: 46575 - Airframe hours: 2380 - Engines: Lycoming O-300-A 145 horsepower reciprocating - Damage: Substantial damage - Flight: Personal, Part 91 - Operator: Christopher Jans - Registered owner: Christopher Jans - Airworthiness certificate: Standard, Normal - Last inspection: Annual, July 1, 2001, 80 hours before - Departed: PAFA, Fairbanks, AK - Destination: KYU, Koyukuk, AK - Airport: PAFA, Fairbanks International ## Flight crew As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names. - Pilot; age 43; injuries: none; private; airplane ratings: single-engine land; medical: class 3, valid medical--no waivers/lim.; seat: left; flight hours: 200 total, 200 in this make and model, 28 in the last 90 days, 28 in the last 30 days, 3 in the last 24 hours ## Weather - Conditions: Visual (VMC), Day - Visibility: 10 statute miles - Lowest ceiling: 20,000 ft broken - Temperature: 48 °F, dew point 27 °F - Altimeter: 29.93 inHg - Observed at: PAFA ## FAA reports on this event (1) The FAA's own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date (OpenAirDocs). - [Accident 20020510009709A](https://openairdocs.org/incident/20020510009709A), May 10, 2002: Cessna 172, Fairbanks, AK, No damage. (-23)[privacy data omitted] the airman hand propped the aircraft with the parking brake set. The aircraft was not tied down, and he did not use any chocks and… ## Docket (1 files) The files NTSB released with the investigation on July 24, 2002, on NTSB's docket system: https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket?ProjectID=54670. 427 KB in all. - Pilot/Operator Aircraft Accident Report, NTSB Form 6120.1 (item 1, .PDF, 427 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=40436529&FileExtension=.PDF&FileName=Pilot%2FOperator%20Aircraft%20Accident%20Report,%20NTSB%20Form%206120.1-Redacted.PDF From the NTSB's public API. Aircraft are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported serial number, make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model. --- OpenAirDocs.org is an independent research project of [Contrail Labs](https://contraillabs.com/). It is not affiliated with the FAA or the NTSB. Source documents are U.S. government works in the public domain.