- Date
- July 18, 2014, 18:25 local (23:25 UTC)
- Place
- St. Louis, MO
- Injuries
- 1 minor, 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Standing
- Aircraft
- N9789WPiper PA 28-140
- Defining event
- Standing-engine(s) start-up: Loss of control on ground
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report September 2, 2014
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- Central Region
- Case key
- 89712
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 decision to operate an airplane with a known deficiency and to not properly secure the airplane before hand-starting the engine.
Findings · 3
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
The airplane's engine starter was inoperative so the pilot decided to hand-start the engine with the propeller to get it started. He had his wife, who was not a pilot, sit in the airplane and hold the toe-brakes with her feet. The parking brake was not set. When the engine started, the airplane began to roll forward, and the pilot's wife was unable to stop it from moving. The wife stated she was scared of the propeller striking her husband so she turned the airplane away from him. The airplane traveled off the pavement, through a ditch, across a soybean field, and collided with a parked airplane resulting in substantial damage to the left wing. The parked airplane was also damaged. The pilot said the starter was the only mechanical problem with the airplane prior to the accident. He said it was a poor decision to hand-start the engine with an inoperative starter and he should have secured the airplane until it could be inspected by a mechanic.
Factual narrative
The airplane's engine starter was inoperative so the pilot decided to hand-start the engine with the propeller to get it started. He had his wife, who was not a pilot, sit in the airplane and hold the toe-brakes with her feet. The parking brake was not set. When the engine started, the airplane began to roll forward, and the pilot's wife was unable to stop it from moving. The wife stated she was scared of the propeller striking her husband so she turned the airplane away from him. The airplane traveled off the pavement, through a ditch, across a soybean field, and collided with a parked airplane resulting in substantial damage to the left wing. The parked airplane was also damaged. The pilot said the starter was the only mechanical problem with the airplane prior to the accident. He said it was a poor decision to hand-start the engine with an inoperative starter and he should have secured the airplane until it could be inspected by a mechanic.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N9789W
- Reported as
- Piper PA 28-140 (140)
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 28-23281
- Built
- 1967
- Engine
- Lycoming 0-320 SERIES, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Peter K L'Esperance
- Registered owner
- Peter K L'Esperance
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Departed
- 1H0 · St. Louis, MO
- Destination
- 1H0 · St. Louis, MO
- Airport
- 1H0 · Creve Couer
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
- 30
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, With waivers/limitations
- Seat
- None
- Flight hours
- 141 total · 100 in this make and model · 118 as pilot in command · 7 in the last 90 days · 1 in the last 30 days · 0 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
Docket · 3
The files NTSB released with the investigation on August 21, 2014, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 637 KB in all.