- Date
- September 8, 1990, 08:30 local (12:30 UTC)
- Place
- Southbridge, MA
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Taxi
- Aircraft
- N89697Cessna 120
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report December 8, 1992
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19900908038679A
- Case key
- 36736
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 improper starting procedures.
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 said his airplane had a low battery and he hand propped it with no one at the controls, nor was it tied down. The engine started and the airplane moved under its own power, striking an unoccupied airplane. The pilot said he may have bumped the throttle as he was exiting the airplane.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N89697
- Reported as
- Cessna 120
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 8746
- Engine
- Continental C-85-12F, 85 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Gary D. Altenhein
- Registered owner
- Gary D. Altenhein
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Departed
- 3B0 · CT
- Airport
- 3B0 · Southbridge Muni. Arpt
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
- 44
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Flight hours
- 420 total · 178 in this make and model · 22 in the last 90 days · 10 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 0° at 6 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 61 °F
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.