- Date
- May 30, 1990, 18:15 local (May 31, 1990, 02:15 UTC)
- Place
- Elmendorf, AK
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Standing
- Aircraft
- N2759AChampion Aeronca 7DC
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report September 5, 1991
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- Alaska Regional Office
- FAA report
- 19900530019949A
- Case key
- 5372
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
Probable cause
Failure of the pilot to properly tie down and chock the aircraft and/or obtain proper assistance, and his failure to properly set the throttle, while hand propping to start the engine.
Sequence of events
NTSB’s coding before 2008: each occurrence and phase of flight, and the causes and factors under it. The codes are defined in NTSB’s coding manual.
Analysis
The plt stated that while preparating for flt, he was starting the eng by hand propping. The eng flooded, so he opened the throttle, turned the fuel valves & magnetos 'off' & propped the eng 10 times to pump fuel from the cylinders. He then returned to the cockpit, turned on the magnetos & verified the fuel valves were off, but forgot to close the throttle before resuming the procedure. Also, he did not tie-down the acft or chock its wheels. When he commenced hand propping, the eng started & went to a high power setting. Subsequently, the acft hit svrl objects (including a utility pole) & went into about 3 ft of water in a lake, before the eng stopped.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N2759A
- Reported as
- Champion Aeronca 7DC (AERONCA 7D)
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 7AC-6389
- Engine
- Continental C-85-8F, 85 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Wilbur R. Hackett
- Departed
- L-3A
- Flight plan
- VFR
- Airport
- NONE · Six Mile Lake
Matched to the registry by N-number and the event date; the registry’s history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 40
- Certificates
- Commercial, Military
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane, Helicopter
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Flight hours
- 4,851 total · 113 in this make and model · 3,300 as pilot in command · 69 in the last 90 days · 3 in the last 30 days · 3 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 240° at 7 knots
- Visibility
- 25 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 5,000 ft broken
- Temperature
- 61 °F, dew point -0 °F
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.
Other investigations on N2759A · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.