- Date
- April 6, 1991, 16:00 local (21:00 UTC)
- Place
- West Branch, MI
- Injuries
- 1 serious, 2 uninjured
- Damage
- No damage
- Phase of flight
- Standing
- Aircraft
- N3072HPiper PA-28-181
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report March 31, 1993
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19910406011979A
- Case key
- 15038
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 follow recommeded starting procedures/directives and precautions.
Sequence of events
NTSB’s coding before 2008: each occurrence and phase of flight, and the causes and factors under it. The codes are defined in NTSB’s coding manual.
Analysis
The pilot was unable to start the airplane engine normally, so he attempted to hand-prop start the engine. The two non-pilot related passengers observed the pilot as he turned the propeller through three to four times on one side, then went to the other side. They stopped watching for a moment, and when they looked back the pilot was on the ground. The pilot had been struck in the head by the propeller.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N3072H
- Reported as
- Piper PA-28-181
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 28-7990223
- Airframe hours
- 1,763
- Engine
- Lycoming O-360-A4M, 180 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- No damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Pontiac Aviation, Inc.
- Registered owner
- Max A Million, Inc.
- Last inspection
- Annual · November 8, 1990 · 65 hours before
- Airport
- Y31 · West Branch Community
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
- 28
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Flight hours
- 130 total · 25 in this make and model
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Visibility
- 20 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- -0 °F, dew point -0 °F
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.