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WPR11CA107

2011-01-25 · Meadview, Arizona, United States · None · 1 aircraft · Status: Completed

Airport L25

Aircraft involved

Probable cause & findings

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.

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. 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. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database Retrieved: 2026-02-12

NTSB Findings

FAA avdata. C = Cause, F = Factor.

  • C Aircraft-Aircraft handling/service-Parking/securing-Tie-down/mooring-Not specified - C
  • C Personnel issues-Task performance-Use of equip/info-Aircraft control-Pilot - C
  • C Personnel issues-Task performance-(general)-(general)-Pilot - C

Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file NTSB_2011_WPR11CA107.txt. Findings + structured fields enriched from FAA avall.mdb. Full investigation docket on data.ntsb.gov ↗.

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