- Date
- August 22, 2007, 00:15 local (06:15 UTC)
- Place
- Hobby Airport, TX
- Injuries
- 1 serious; on the ground: 1 serious
- Damage
- No damage
- Phase of flight
- Standing
- Aircraft
- N6KFMitsubishi MU-2B-36
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Night
- Status
- Completed · report November 29, 2007
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Parties
- Houston, Texas
- Case key
- 66490
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 failure of the ramp employee to maintain clearance from the rotating propeller. A contributing factor was the prevailing night conditions.
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 high-wing twin-engine airplane was not damaged and a lineman was seriously injured when the lineman inadvertently walked into the turning propeller for the number 1 engine while undergoing ground operations prior to the night flight. The lineman, who was reported to have completed all required training, recently changed work shifts and collectively had a total of six-months of experience. It was also reported that normally aircrews remove their own wheel chocks. The pilot stated that as the airplane completed both engine starts, in preparation for flight, the employee quickly approached the airplane to unplug the ground power unit (GPU) when he preceded to cross beneath the left wing from forward-to-aft retrieving the left main landing gear wheel chocks. While recovering the left wheel chocks the linemen was struck by the left engine propeller blade sustaining serious injuries. The airplane was standing at the time of the mishap. The pilot-in-command then performed an engine shutdown, exited the aircraft and assisted the injured linemen. Weather at the airport was not a factor in the mishap.
Factual narrative
The high-wing twin-engine airplane was not damaged and a lineman was seriously injured when the lineman inadvertently walked into the turning propeller for the number 1 engine while undergoing ground operations prior to the night flight. The lineman, who was reported to have completed all required training, recently changed work shifts and collectively had a total of six-months of experience. It was also reported that normally aircrews remove their own wheel chocks. The pilot stated that as the airplane completed both engine starts, in preparation for flight, the employee quickly approached the airplane to unplug the ground power unit (GPU) when he preceded to cross beneath the left wing from forward-to-aft retrieving the left main landing gear wheel chocks. While recovering the left wheel chocks the linemen was struck by the left engine propeller blade sustaining serious injuries. The airplane was standing at the time of the mishap. The pilot-in-command then performed an engine shutdown, exited the aircraft and assisted the injured linemen. Weather at the airport was not a factor in the mishap.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N6KF
- Reported as
- Mitsubishi MU-2B-36
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 659
- Engine
- Airesearch TPE331-5&6SER, turbo prop
- Damage
- No damage
- Flight
- Part 91
- Registered owner
- Flight Line Inc. (VOXA)
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Departed
- HOU · Houston, TX
- Destination
- Hobby Airport, TX
- Flight plan
- Unknown
- Airport
- HOU · William P Hobby
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
- 57
- Injuries
- None
- Certificates
- Private, Commercial, Flight instructor
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Unknown, Unknown
- Seat
- Left
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Night
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles