- Date
- May 21, 1986, 13:20 local (20:20 UTC)
- Place
- Lompoc, CA
- Injuries
- 1 minor
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Standing
- Aircraft
- N9158LBellanca 7ACA
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19860521019139A
- Case key
- 25164
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
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 bellance champion went out of control an collided with two other parked acft after a hand propped start. The plt indicated that the acft was tied down with two chains attached to each of the wings at one end and to a cable that stretched across the ramp at the other end. The plt elected to hand start the eng without someone on the brakes. When the eng started it developed more than idle RPM. The acft broke one of the tie down chains and started a pivot turn around the other chain and struck two parked acft before stopping. Ac 61-21A states, 'it is recommended that an engine never be 'hand propped' unless a qualified person thoroughly familar with the operation of all the controls is seated at the controls and the brakes set. As a additional precaustion, chocks should be placed in front of the main wheels. If this is not feasible, the airplane's tail should be securely tied.'
Aircraft
- Registration
- N9158L
- Reported as
- Bellanca 7ACA
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 19-71
- Airframe hours
- 1,134
- Engine
- Continental A65-8-I, 65 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Susan K. Schwab
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · July 20, 1985 · 150 hours before
- Departed
- LPC · Lompoc, CA
- Destination
- SMX · Santa Maria, CA
- Airport
- LPC · Lompoc 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
- 32
- Certificates
- Commercial, Flight instructor
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Flight hours
- 1,819 total · 104 in this make and model · 1,622 as pilot in command · 91 in the last 90 days · 48 in the last 30 days · 2 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 320° at 20 knots, gusting 24
- Lowest ceiling
- 20,000 ft broken
- Temperature
- 61 °F, dew point 45 °F
- Observed at
- VBG, 8 nm away
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.
Other investigations on N9158L · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.