- Date
- July 8, 2025, 18:45 local (23:45 UTC)
- Place
- Seguin, TX
- Injuries
- 1 serious
- Damage
- No damage
- Phase of flight
- Standing
- Aircraft
- N97577Stinson 108
- Defining event
- Standing-engine(s) start-up: AC/prop/rotor contact w person
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report October 30, 2025
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Investigation class
- Class 4 - Basic report with no Prelim publish
- NTSB office
- Central Region
- Parties
- FAA-FSDO
- FAA report
- 20250708009339A
- Case key
- 200495
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 turn off the magneto switch before repositioning the propeller by hand which resulted in an inadvertent engine start.
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
After refueling the airplane, the engine failed to start after two attempts, and the pilot elected to reposition the propeller by hand. The magneto switch was left in the ON position, and the engine inadvertently started which resulted in a serious injury to the pilot’s arm. The unoccupied airplane then collided with a large metal sign and came to rest upright. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N97577
- Reported as
- Stinson 108
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 108-577
- Built
- 1946
- Airframe hours
- 2,113.3
- Engine
- Franklin 6A4-150-B3, 150 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- No damage
- Fire
- Unknown
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · March 8, 2025
- Airport
- 1TE4 · Zuehl
- Equipment
- Electronic flight bag or handheld device, ADS-B
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
- 72
- Injuries
- Serious
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Waiver time limited special
- Last flight review
- August 6, 2024
- Seat
- None
- Restraint
- None
- Flight hours
- 2,423 total · 754 in this make and model · 2,373 as pilot in command · 17 in the last 90 days · 3 in the last 30 days · 0 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 140° at 8 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 81 °F, dew point 72 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.06 inHg
- Observed at
- KRND, 6 nm away
- METAR
- KRND 090055Z AUTO 14008KT 10SM CLR 27/22 A3006 RMK AO2 SLP171 T02730222=
Docket · 2
The files NTSB released with the investigation on November 4, 2025, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports.
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.