- Date
- July 22, 1995, 01:30 local (05:30 UTC)
- Place
- Holland, MI
- Injuries
- 1 serious, 1 uninjured
- Damage
- No damage
- Phase of flight
- Standing
- Aircraft
- N53449Cessna 337H
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Night/dark
- Status
- Completed · report November 25, 1996
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19950722024569A
- Case key
- 9952
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 passenger's improper decision to exit the airplane with the engine(s) running.
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 passenger exited the airplane to wipe dew off the windshield. While doing this, she walked into the rear side of the front propeller. The pilot stated that he tried to stop the passenger when he realized she was exiting the airplane, but was unable to, so he shut the fuel flow off to the engines.
Factual narrative
On July 22, 1995, at 0130 eastern daylight time, a Cessna 337, N53499, had the propeller strike a passenger who exited the airplane at the Tulip City Airport, Holland, Michigan. The airplane was not damaged. The pilot was not injured and the passenger was seriously injured. The flight was to have originated shortly after the accident occurred.
The pilot stated that after performing the engine run-up at the end of the runway, he opened his side window to wipe dew off the windshield. He stated the passenger opened her door and was unable to reach the windshield with her seatbelt on. The pilot reported that the passenger unfastened her seatbelt and stepped out of the airplane. He stated he reached out to stop her but she was already out of his reach. He stated he reached for the fuel flow levers and moved them to idle cut-off. Prior to the propellers stopping the passenger stepped into the rear side of the forward propeller. The propeller contacted her right arm and thigh.
The pilot exited the airplane and moved the passenger to a grass area alongside the runway. He then returned to his airplane and taxied back to the ramp area where he called the local authorities for help.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N53449
- Reported as
- Cessna 337H
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 33701663
- Airframe hours
- 1,280
- Engine
- Continental IO-360, 210 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- No damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Thom Beeson
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · July 1, 1994 · 60 hours before
- Departed
- C19
- Destination
- UGN · Waukegan, IL
- Airport
- C19 · Tulip City Airport
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
- 45
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 3,000 total · 3,000 as pilot in command
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Night/dark
- Lowest ceiling
- None
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.