- Date
- January 25, 2011, 12:45 local (19:45 UTC)
- Place
- Meadview, AZ
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Standing
- Aircraft
- N3751UPiper PA-28R-201T
- Defining event
- Standing-engine(s) start-up: Ground handling event
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report June 8, 2011
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- Western Pacific Region
- Parties
- Federal Aviation Administration
- FAA report
- 20110125000389A
- Case key
- 78217
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 properly secure the airplane while manually starting the engine with the propeller, resulting in inadvertent movement of the airplane and collision with the ground.
Findings · 3
NTSB’s coded findings. Those marked are part of the probable cause; the rest are factors or other findings. Under each, the cases with the same finding.
Sequence of events
The events NTSB coded, in order, by phase of flight. The defining event is the one that best describes the accident. Under each, the cases with the same event anywhere in their sequence.
Analysis
The pilot reported that he had shutdown the engine on a remote dirt airport to inspect the tires before takeoff. When he attempted to restart the engine the battery was insufficiently charged and would not start the engine. The pilot decided to attempt to start the engine by hand propping it. He set the throttle, brake, and turned the magnetos to on. The pilot used a hand-prop method to attempt to start the engine. The engine ultimately started but accelerated before the pilot could enter the airplane, first hitting a berm and then continuing over a cliff. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the wings and fuselage.
Factual narrative
The pilot reported that he had shutdown the engine on a remote dirt airport to inspect the tires before takeoff. When he attempted to restart the engine the battery was insufficiently charged, and would not start the engine. The pilot decided to attempt to start the engine by hand propping it. He set the throttle, the brake, and turned the magnetos to on. The pilot used a hand-prop method to attempt to start the engine. The engine ultimately started but before the pilot could enter the airplane, it accelerated and went on an excursion first hitting a berm and then continuing over a cliff. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the wings and fuselage.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N3751U
- Reported as
- Piper PA-28R-201T
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 28R-7703206
- Airframe hours
- 2,698
- Engine
- Continental TSIO-360-FB, 201 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · November 4, 2010 · 9 hours before
- Departed
- BVU · Boulder City, NV
- Destination
- BVU · Boulder City, NV
- Airport
- L25 · Pearce Ferry 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
- 47
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Without waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- January 14, 2011
- Flight hours
- 268 total · 122 in this make and model · 225 as pilot in command · 9 in the last 90 days · 9 in the last 30 days · 3 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- Variable at 4 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 57 °F, dew point 23 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.19 inHg
- Observed at
- HND, 48 nm away
Docket · 2
The files NTSB released with the investigation on February 28, 2011, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 971 KB in all.
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.