# NTSB CEN21LA083: Cessna 172, N1956V, Glencoe, MN, December 10, 2020 - Type: NTSB accident investigation - Classification: Accident · Serious injuries · Class 4 · Limited · Final report - Date: December 9, 2020, 18:30 local (Dec 10, 2020, 00:30 UTC) - Place: Glencoe, MN - Coordinates: 44.756006, -94.081461 (estimated) - Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=44.7560&lon=-94.0815&mi=10 - Phase of flight: [Standing](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-phases/150) (OpenAirDocs' grouping) - Defining event: [Standing-engine(s) operating: AC/prop/rotor contact w person](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/081) - Highest injury: Serious injuries - Injuries: 1 serious, 1 uninjured; on the ground: 1 serious - Status: Completed - Report: Approved by Office Director - Investigation class: Class 4 - Basic report with no Prelim publish - NTSB office: Central Region - Parties: FAA Flight Standards - NTSB case key (mKey): 102398 - NTSB case page: https://web.ntsb.gov/investigations/?ntsbnumber=CEN21LA083 - NTSB report (PDF, downloads): https://data.ntsb.gov/carol-repgen/api/Aviation/ReportMain/GenerateNewestReport/102398/pdf - NTSB docket: https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket?ProjectID=102398 - Page: https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/CEN21LA083 ## Probable cause A bystander’s inadvertent contact with the propeller while the engine was running. ## Findings NTSB's coded findings; those marked are part of the probable cause. - [Info processing/decision: identification/recognition](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/02041510): Personnel issues › Action/decision · Other (probable cause); cases with it: [Cessna 172S, 10 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/02041510/cases.md?model=2072439), [All aircraft, 559 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/02041510/cases.md) ## Sequence of events The events NTSB coded, in order, by phase of flight. The defining event best describes what happened. - [Standing-engine(s) operating: AC/prop/rotor contact w person](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/081) (defining event); cases with it: [Cessna 172S, 4 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/081/sequence.md?model=2072439), [All aircraft, 61 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/081/sequence.md) ## Analysis The pilot made a fuel stop as part of a solo cross-country flight. The pilot’s mother and sister had come out to the airport to visit. After fueling the airplane, his mother and sister returned to their car. The pilot conducted his preflight, started the engine, and was completing the checklist when he “heard and felt a violent thud.” He looked up to see his mother “sprinting towards the car.” The pilot shutdown the airplane. The pilot’s mother had returned to the airplane unexpectedly and was struck by the propeller resulting in a serious injury to her left arm. The airplane exhibited no obvious damage. ## Aircraft - Registration: [N1956V](https://openairdocs.org/aircraft/N1956V), registered now, S/N 172S9934, built 2005 (OpenAirDocs) - Reported make and model: CESSNA 172 (S) - Registry model: [Cessna 172S](https://openairdocs.org/model/cessna-172s) (registry code 2072439) (OpenAirDocs) - Registry engine: [Lycoming IO-360-L2A](https://openairdocs.org/engine/lycoming-io-360-l2a) (registry code 41597, reciprocating) (OpenAirDocs) - Category: Airplane - Serial number: 172S9934 - Year built: 2005 - Airframe hours: 5988 - Engines: Lycoming IO-360-L2A 180 horsepower reciprocating - Damage: No damage - Flight: Instructional, Part 91 - Operator: South Dakota State University - Registered owner: Medary Aviation LLC - Airworthiness certificate: Standard, Utility; Standard, Normal - Last inspection: Continuous airworthiness, November 23, 2020, 25 hours before - Destination: BKX, Brookings, SD - Flight plan: VFR - Airport: GYL, Glencoe Municipal - Equipment: Electronic multifunction display, Auto-pilot, Electronic primary flight display, ADS-B, Stall warning system ## Flight crew As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names. - Pilot; age 22; injuries: none; private; airplane ratings: single-engine land; instrument ratings: airplane; medical: class 2, without waivers/limitations; last flight review August 3, 2020; seat: left; restraint: 3-point; flight hours: 161 total, 136 in this make and model, 112 as pilot in command, 35 in the last 90 days, 9 in the last 30 days ## Weather - Conditions: Visual (VMC), Night - Wind: calm - Visibility: 10 statute miles - Lowest ceiling: none - Temperature: 2 °F, dew point -3 °F - Altimeter: 29.95 inHg - Observed at: GYL ## FAA reports on this event (1) The FAA's own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date (OpenAirDocs). - [Accident 20201209017819A](https://openairdocs.org/incident/20201209017819A), Dec 9, 2020: Cessna 172S, Glencoe, MN, No damage. 2020-12-09, N1956V, a Cessna 172 was located at the Glencoe, MN (kgyl) airport. The aircraft was parked on the ramp near the fuel pump. The PIC was on a long… ## Docket (1 files) The files NTSB released with the investigation on July 7, 2021, on NTSB's docket system: https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket?ProjectID=102398. 493 KB in all. - Pilot/operator aircraft accident report, NTSB form 6120.1 (item 1, PDF, 9 pages, 493 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=11725319&FileExtension=pdf&FileName=Accident%20Report%20--%20CEN21LA083_redacted-Rel.pdf From the NTSB's public API. Aircraft are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported serial number, make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model. --- OpenAirDocs.org is an independent research project of [Contrail Labs](https://contraillabs.com/). It is not affiliated with the FAA or the NTSB. Source documents are U.S. government works in the public domain.