- Date
- September 9, 2015, 18:00 local (22:00 UTC)
- Place
- Delphi, IN
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Standing
- Aircraft
- N4653HPiper PA-17
- Defining event
- Standing-engine(s) start-up: Ground handling event
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report March 14, 2016
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- Central Region
- Parties
- FAA Flight Standards District Office
- FAA report
- 20150909014579A
- Case key
- 91969
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 attempt to start the engine by himself without properly securing the airplane.
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 pilot had recently purchased the airplane. It was not equipped with a starter nor did it have a parking brake. Up until this time, the pilot had used someone else to hand prop the engine while he sat at the controls. This was the pilot's first attempt to start the engine by himself. The airplane was not tied down nor chocked. The engine started and the airplane taxied across the tarmac and collided with an airport-owned hangar. There was an intention for flight. The pilot admitted his "lack of experience with this aircraft and [his] overly-high confidence level [was the cause of the] accident."
Factual narrative
According to the pilot's written statement, he had recently purchased the airplane. The airplane was not equipped with a starter nor did it have a parking brake. Up until this time, the pilot had used someone else to hand prop the engine while he sat at the controls. This was the pilot's first attempt to start the engine by himself. The airplane was not tied down nor chocked. The engine started on the second attempt. The pilot said he had either primed the engine too much or had the throttle set too high. When the engine started, it accelerated to high RPM and the airplane taxied across the tarmac and collided with an airport-owned hangar. There was an intention for flight. The pilot admitted his "lack of experience with this aircraft and [his] overly-high confidence level [was the cause of the] accident."
Aircraft
- Registration
- N4653H
- Reported as
- Piper PA-17
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 17-63
- Built
- 1948
- Airframe hours
- 1,600
- Engine
- Lycoming O-145, 65 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Eric D. Stull
- Registered owner
- Eric D. Stull
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · August 1, 2015 · 7 hours before
- Departed
- I19 · Delphi, IN
- Destination
- I19 · Delphi, IN
- Airport
- 1I9 · Delphi Municipal
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
- 21
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 2, Without waivers/limitations
- Seat
- None
- Restraint
- None
- Flight hours
- 50 total · 7 in this make and model
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 350° at 4 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 73 °F, dew point 66 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.94 inHg
- Observed at
- KMCX, 11 nm away
Docket · 2
The files NTSB released with the investigation on March 9, 2016, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 232 KB 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.