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BFO89LA010

1988-11-15 · DUBLIN, West Virginia, United States · None · 1 aircraft · Status: Completed

Airport PSK

Current FAA registration · N88054

Make / Model
PIPER J3C-65
Year of manufacture
1946 · 42 years old at event
Engine
CONT MOTOR A&C65 SERIES (65 hp)
Seats / Engines
2 seats · 1 engine
Last airworthiness date
19560109
ADS-B equipped
Yes — Mode-S AC20F9

Source: FAA Aircraft Registry (releasable master file).

Aircraft involved

Factual narrative

THE PILOT WAS ATTEMPTING TO HAND PROP HIS ACFT WITHOUT ANY ASSISTANCE. HE STATED HE CHOCKED BOTH THE FRONT AND BACK OF THE RIGHT MAIN GEAR. AFTER SEVERAL UNSUCCESSFUL ATTEMPTS THE ENGINE FINALLY STARTED. THE ACFT RAN AT WHAT THE PILOT DESCRIBED AS SOUNDING LIKE FULL POWER. WHILE THE PILOT ATTEMPTED TO GET INSIDE THE ACFT, IT JUMPED OVER THE CHOCKS AND BEGAN TO MOVE. THE PILOT GRABBED THE WING STRUT TO TURN THE ACFT SO IT WOULD NOT CONTACT A SENECA PARKED ON THE RAMP. THE PILOT STATED HE THEN LET GO WHEN IT APPEARED THE ACFT WOULD TRAVEL TOWARD THE RWY AND NOT THE RAMP. THE LEFT WING OF THE ACFT CONTACTED THE FUEL PUMPS AND SWUNG AROUND HITTING THE PLT. THE ACFT THEN TURNED TOWARD THE RAMP WHERE IT CONTACTED A PARKED CESSNA 172 AND A CHAIN LINK FENCE BEFORE COMING TO A STOP. THE PILOT REPORTED THAT THE MAGNETOS AND FUEL SELECTOR WERE ON BUT THE THROTTLE WAS AT IDLE WHEN THE ENGINE STARTED. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database (Pre-2008 Archive) Retrieved: 2026-02-12

Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file NTSB_1988_BFO89LA010.txt. Findings + structured fields enriched from FAA avall.mdb. Full investigation docket on data.ntsb.gov ↗.