- Date
- February 15, 2020, 07:00 local (13:00 UTC)
- Place
- Columbus, MS
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Prior to flight
- Aircraft
- N7736TVans RV8
- Defining event
- Prior to flight: Ground collision
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report August 25, 2020
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- Central Region
- Parties
- FAA FSDO
- FAA report
- 20200215005689A
- Case key
- 100953
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 inadvertent engine start of the unoccupied airplane, which resulted in it moving forward and impacting a hangar and an electrical box.
Findings · 4
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 reported that he conducted the preflight and that, during the start sequence, the engine's starter would not engage. He turned off the switches, set the parking brake, and exited the cockpit. He rotated the engine by turning the propeller slowly by hand so that the starter would engage. The engine started unexpectedly, and the airplane moved forward. The airplane impacted a hangar and an electrical transformer box, and a postimpact fire ensured, which consumed the airplane and prevented examination of the cockpit, brakes, or electrical system.
Factual narrative
The pilot reported that he planned a flight in a single-engine airplane. He conducted the pre-flight and then during the start sequence, the engine's starter would not engage. He turned off the switches, set the parking brake, and exited the cockpit. He rotated the engine by turning the propeller slowly by hand, so the starter would engage. The engine started unexpectedly, and the airplane moved forward. The airplane collided with a hangar and an electrical transformer box, and a post-impact fire ensued. The airplane was consumed by the fire, which prevented any examination of the cockpit, brakes, or electrical system. The accident is consistent with an inadvertent engine start when the pilot rotated the propeller.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N7736T
- Reported as
- Vans RV8 (A)
- Category
- Airplane, amateur-built
- Serial number
- 81302
- Airframe hours
- 400
- Engine
- Lycoming IO-360, 200 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Fire
- On-Ground
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Experimental (Special)
- Last inspection
- Condition · April 30, 2019
- Departed
- UBS · Columbus, MS
- Airport
- UBS · Columbus-Lowndes County
- Equipment
- Handheld GPS, Angle of attack indicator, Auto-pilot, Electronic multifunction display, Electronic primary flight display
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
- 38
- Injuries
- None
- Certificates
- Commercial, Airline transport
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 3, With waivers/limitations
- Seat
- None
- Flight hours
- 2,300 total · 120 in this make and model · 2,000 as pilot in command · 11 in the last 90 days · 4 in the last 30 days · 2 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 80° at 3 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 28 °F, dew point 27 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.44 inHg
- Observed at
- KGTR, 9 nm away
Docket · 2
The files NTSB released with the investigation on February 28, 2020, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 5.4 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.