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CEN21LA083

2020-12-09 · Glencoe, Minnesota, United States · Serious · 1 aircraft · Status: Completed

Airport GYL

Current FAA registration · N1956V

Make / Model
CESSNA 172S
Year of manufacture
2005 · 15 years old at event
Engine
LYCOMING IO-360-L2A (180 hp)
Seats / Engines
4 seats · 1 engine
Last airworthiness date
20050929
ADS-B equipped
Yes — Mode-S A17DFC

Source: FAA Aircraft Registry (releasable master file).

Aircraft involved

Probable cause & findings

A bystander’s inadvertent contact with the propeller while the engine was running.

Factual narrative

The pilot made a fuel stop as part of a solo cross-country flight. The pilot’s mother and sister had come out to the airport to visit. After fueling the airplane, his mother and sister returned to their car. The pilot conducted his preflight, started the engine, and was completing the checklist when he “heard and felt a violent thud.” He looked up to see his mother “sprinting towards the car.” The pilot shutdown the airplane. The pilot’s mother had returned to the airplane unexpectedly and was struck by the propeller resulting in a serious injury to her left arm. The airplane exhibited no obvious damage. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database Retrieved: 2026-02-12

NTSB Findings

FAA avdata. C = Cause, F = Factor.

  • — Personnel issues-Action/decision-Info processing/decision-Identification/recognition-Other

Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file NTSB_2020_CEN21LA083.txt. Findings + structured fields enriched from FAA avall.mdb. Full investigation docket on data.ntsb.gov ↗.

Search this event elsewhere

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Related research

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