- Date
- December 26, 2002, 06:15 local (12:15 UTC)
- Place
- Tallahassee, FL
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Standing
- Aircraft
- N752CFPiper PA-30
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Dawn
- Status
- Completed · report April 18, 2003
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Case key
- 56280
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 improper start procedure which resulted in an unintentional engine start, and unoccupied aircraft collision with hangar structure.
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
According to the pilot he pulled the airplane from the hangar and was intending to fly to Miami. He could not start the left engine so he exited the airplane and proceeded to pull the propeller. The left engine inadvertently started, and collided with a hangar door, with the engine running. The pilot told the police "...he...went to start the left engine and the engine starter hung up, so he got out of the aircraft and went to turn the left propeller, and the engine started since the switches had been left on the on position."
Factual narrative
On December 26, 2002, about 0615 central standard time, a Piper PA-30, N752CF, registered to Security 4 It Inc., and operated by an individual, impacted with a hangar door at the Tallahassee Regional Airport, Tallahassee, Florida. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time and no flight plan was filed for the 14 CFR Part 91 personal flight. The airplane was substantially damaged. The commercial-rated pilot reported no injuries. The flight was originating at the time.
According to the pilot he pulled the airplane from the hangar and was intending to fly to Miami. He could not start the left engine because he believed that the bendix starter had remained engaged. Unable to start the engine, he got out of the airplane and proceeded to pull the propeller. The pilot stated that the "...left propeller was moved. The engine started unexpectedly. The aircraft struck a hanger door with the engine running." The pilot told the police "...the engine started since the switches had been left on the on position."
Aircraft
- Registration
- N752CF
- Reported as
- Piper PA-30
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- PA30-592
- Engine
- Lycoming IO-32-B!A, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- James Fessler
- Registered owner
- Security 4 IT Inc.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Departed
- TLH · Tallahassee, FL
- Destination
- Miami, FL
- Flight plan
- Unknown
- Airport
- TLH · Tallahassee Regional
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
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 3
- Flight hours
- 2,479 total · 937 in this make and model · 56 in the last 90 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Dawn
Other investigations on N752CF · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.