NTSB CAROL · Event
Event MIA04LA024
Aircraft involved
Probable cause & findings
The pilot's improper starting procedure which led to inadvertent activation of the propeller.
Factual narrative
On November 18, 2003, about 1005 eastern standard time, a Beech BE-76, N6013M, registered to JHB Flying Inc., and operated by Falcon Flight Center, had the propeller strike the pilot, while the airplane was being prepared for a Title 14 CFR Part 91 personal flight. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan was filed. The commercial-rated flight instructor received serious injuries, and neither the student pilot nor the one passenger in the airplane received injuries. The airplane was not damaged. The airplane was being prepared to be flown when the accident occurred. Witnesses seated in the airplane stated that the pilot-in-command (PIC) had initially boarded the airplane and sat in the left seat. They said the PIC then said something about the starter, and before saying anything else, stepped out of the cockpit and went to the left propeller. They said they saw the PIC move the propeller, and the next thing they knew he had disappeared from view. After calling out to the PIC and subsequently exiting the airplane, they saw the PIC laying on the ground in a pool of blood. One of the witnesses said he then pulled the pilot to avoid the arc of the propeller, and both witnesses stated that the left propeller had moved and had struck the PIC in the head and he had incurred a serious injury. Witnesses seated in the airplane stated that the pilot-in-command (PIC) had initially boarded the airplane and sat in the left seat. They said the PIC then said something about the starter, and before saying anything else, stepped out of the cockpit and went to the left propeller. They said they saw the PIC move the propeller, and the next thing they knew he had disappeared from view. After calling out to the PIC and subsequently exiting the airplane, they saw the PIC laying on the ground in a pool of blood. One of the witnesses said he then pulled the pilot to avoid the arc of the propeller, and both witnesses stated that the left propeller had moved and had struck the PIC in the head and he had incurred a serious injury. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database (Pre-2008 Archive) Retrieved: 2026-02-12
Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file
NTSB_2003_MIA04LA024.txt.
Findings + structured fields enriched from FAA avall.mdb.
Full investigation docket on
data.ntsb.gov ↗.
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