- Date
- December 6, 2012, 07:26 local (13:26 UTC)
- Place
- Eden Prairie, MN
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Standing
- Aircraft
- N8161MCirrus SR22
- Defining event
- Standing-engine(s) start-up: Ground handling event
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report April 10, 2013
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- Central Region
- Parties
- FAA Flight Standards District Office
- FAA report
- 20121206025579A
- Case key
- 85773
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 ensure the airplane was secured prior to attempting an engine start by handpropping.
Findings · 2
NTSB’s coded findings. Those marked are part of the probable cause; the rest are factors or other findings. Under each, the cases with the same finding.
Sequence of events
The events NTSB coded, in order, by phase of flight. The defining event is the one that best describes the accident. Under each, the cases with the same event anywhere in their sequence.
Analysis
When the pilot attempted to start the engine, the starter motor turned, but the starter did not engage. The pilot said he turned off the battery master switch, exited the airplane, and walked around to the front of the airplane. He reached through the door and thought the ignition key was off. He pushed the propeller down through one compression stroke. The engine immediately started. The pilot jumped on the left wing, but fell off. The airplane traveled across the ramp and struck a ditch between runways 28R and 28L, breaking off the nose gear and buckling the firewall. Postaccident examination disclosed the ignition switch functioned normally.
Factual narrative
According to the pilot's accident report, when he attempted to start the engine the starter motor turned but the starter did not engage. The pilot made additional attempts to start the engine with the same result. The pilot turned off the battery master switch, got out and walked around to the front of the airplane. He reached through the door and thought the ignition key was off. He pushed the propeller down through one compression stroke. The engine immediately started. The pilot jumped on the left wing, but fell off. The airplane traveled across the ramp and struck a ditch between runways 28R and 28L, breaking off the nose gear and buckling the firewall. An examination of the airplane and its systems, conducted by the Federal Aviation Administration, revealed no anomalies.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N8161M
- Reported as
- Cirrus SR22
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 0719
- Airframe hours
- 1,090
- Engine
- Continental IO-550-N, 310 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Glick Farms, Inc.
- Registered owner
- Glick Farms, Inc.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · August 24, 2012 · 85 hours before
- Departed
- KFCM · Eden Prairie, MN
- Destination
- KMOT · Minot, ND
- Airport
- KFCM · Flying Cloud
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 50
- Injuries
- None
- Certificates
- Private, Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, With waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- July 11, 2012
- Flight hours
- 2,439 total · 1,310 in this make and model · 2,381 as pilot in command · 49 in the last 90 days · 14 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 210° at 10 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 5,500 ft broken
- Temperature
- 43 °F, dew point 36 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.77 inHg
- Observed at
- KFCM
Docket · 3
The files NTSB released with the investigation on January 16, 2013, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 1.1 MB in all.
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.