- Date
- April 9, 2005, 10:30 local (17:30 UTC)
- Place
- Independence, OR
- Injuries
- 1 minor
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Standing
- Aircraft
- N7771ECessna 150
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report July 7, 2005
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Parties
- Portland, OR
- FAA report
- 20050409005089A
- Case key
- 61277
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 failure to secure the airplane while starting the engine by hand-propping.
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 was hand-propping the airplane to start it, and it taxied away with him hanging onto the left wing strut. The airplane subsequently impacted two other parked airplanes. The accident airplane's right wing spar and strut were bent.
Factual narrative
On April 9, 2005, at approximately 1030 Pacific daylight time, a Cessna 150, N7771E, was substantially damaged when the pilot hand propped the airplane and it taxied without him into two other parked aircraft at Independence State Airport, Independence, Oregon. The private pilot, who was hanging onto the airplane's strut, received minor injuries. The airplane was being operated under Title 14 CFR Part 91. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed for the personal, proposed, local flight. No flight plan had been filed.
The pilot said that the airplane had not been flown for awhile. He hand-propped the airplane to start it, and it taxied away with him hanging onto the left wing strut. The airplane subsequently impacted two other parked airplanes. The accident airplane's right wing spar and strut were bent.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N7771E
- Reported as
- Cessna 150
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 17571
- Airframe hours
- 5,138
- Engine
- Continental O-200-A, 100 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Thomas E. Mishler
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · December 5, 2004 · 15 hours before
- Departed
- 7S5 · Independence, OR
- Destination
- 7S5
- Airport
- 7S5 · Independence State 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
- 72
- Injuries
- Minor
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Expired
- Flight hours
- 260 total · 200 in this make and model
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 0° at 0 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 52 °F, dew point 36 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.21 inHg
- Observed at
- SLE, 9 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 N7771E · 2
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.