- Date
- May 3, 1992, 13:00 local (17:00 UTC)
- Place
- Wilmington, NC
- Injuries
- 1 serious
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Standing
- Aircraft
- N72973Cessna 120
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report March 12, 1993
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19920503027289A
- Case key
- 8597
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
The pilot's failure to obtain proper assistance during the engine starting procedure, and his failure to properly attend to the airplane with the engine running.
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 private pilot was hand propping his airplane in preparation for a personal flight. A witness reported that the wheels were not chocked, and when the engine started, the throttle was in a midrange position. The airplane began to roll, and the pilot was unable to reach the controls. The unattended airplane collided with two fuel trucks before coming to a stop. While attempting to stop the runaway airplane, the pilot was struck by the aircraft tail.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N72973
- Reported as
- Cessna 120
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 10174
- Airframe hours
- 3,440
- Engine
- Continental C-85-12, 85 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Pardee, Douglas L.
- Registered owner
- Pardee, Douglas L.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · April 10, 1992 · 1 hours before
- Destination
- SUT · Southport, NC
- Airport
- ILM · New Hanover International
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
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Flight hours
- 1,326 total · 889 in this make and model · 1,236 as pilot in command · 5 in the last 90 days · 2 in the last 30 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 290° at 3 knots
- Visibility
- 7 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 84 °F, dew point 63 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
- Observed at
- ILM, 1 nm away
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.