NTSB CAROL · Event
Event WPR24LA099
Registry · N518SW
FAA Aircraft Registry record.
Make / Model
PIPER PA-18A 150
Year of manufacture
1955 · 69 years old at event
Engine
LYCOMING 0-320 SERIES (180 hp)
Seats / Engines
1 seats · 1 engine
Last airworthiness date
19740412
ADS-B equipped
Yes — Mode-S A680CC
Registrant of record
GILCHRIST ROBERT T
Source: FAA Aircraft Registry (releasable master file).
Aircraft involved
Probable cause & findings
The pilot’s failure to disengage the ignition prior to moving the propeller by hand resulting in the inadvertent starting of the engine.
Factual narrative
The pilot stated that he was preparing to fly the airplane with a new propeller that had been recently installed. During a few recent experiences, the propeller would get stuck at top dead center and would only turn normally after multiple start attempts. On the day of the accident, the propeller was stuck at top dead center again after an unsuccessful attempt to start the engine. The pilot walked to the front of the airplane and stood on one of the floats to reposition the propeller, at which time the engine started up immediately and the pilot was struck by one of the propeller blades. According to the airport manager who arrived several minutes after the accident, he observed the ignition switch in the ON position. The pilot further remarked that he must have forgotten to turn off the magnetos before he moved the propeller. The pilot reported no preimpact mechanical malfunctions or anomalies that could have precluded normal operation. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database Retrieved: 2026-02-12
NTSB Findings
Hierarchical cause / factor breakdown from the FAA bulk avdata database. Each finding tagged C (Cause) or F (Factor).
- — Personnel issues-Task performance-Use of equip/info-(general)-Pilot
- — Aircraft-Aircraft power plant-Ignition system-Switching-Incorrect use/operation
Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file
NTSB_2024_WPR24LA099.txt.
Findings + structured fields enriched from FAA avall.mdb.
Full investigation docket on
data.ntsb.gov ↗.
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Related research
What the literature says.
Academic papers and agency reports matching this event's aircraft type or causal vocabulary (stall). Sourced from NASA NTRS, NTSB Safety Studies, FAA CAMI, AOPA Air Safety Institute, Embry-Riddle Scholarly Commons, arXiv, and the Semantic Scholar academic graph.
- NASA NTRS 2026 · Conference Paper
Computational Analysis of Steady State Aerodynamics of Transonic Truss-Braced Wing Configuration in Deep Stall
This study presents a computational investigation of steady state aerodynamics of the Subsonic Ultra-Green Aircraft Research (SUGAR) Transonic Truss-Braced Wing (TTBW) configuration over a wide range …
- arXiv 2023 · arXiv preprint
Automating Bird Diverter Installation through Multi-Aerial Robots and Signal Temporal Logic Specifications
This paper tackles the task assignment and trajectory generation problem for bird diverter installation using a fleet of multi-rotors.
- arXiv 2023 · arXiv preprint
Variation of Critical Crystallization Pressure for the Formation of Square Ice in Graphene Nanocapillaries
Two-dimensional square ice in graphene nanocapillaries at room temperature is a fascinating phenomenon and has been confirmed experimentally.
- arXiv 2023 · arXiv preprint
Polycrystallinity enhances stress build-up around ice
Damage caused by freezing wet, porous materials is a widespread problem, but is hard to predict or control. Here, we show that polycrystallinity makes a great difference to the stress build-up process…
- arXiv 2022 · arXiv preprint
Enhanced Prediction of Three-dimensional Finite Iced Wing Separated Flow Near Stall
Icing on three-dimensional wings causes severe flow separation near stall. Standard improved delayed detached eddy simulation (IDDES) is unable to correctly predict the separating reattaching flow due…
- Embry-Riddle Scholarly Commons 2021 · Journal article (JAAER)
Analysis on the Negative Emotional, Physiological, and Cognitive Responses Elicited from of the Activation of a Stall Alarm
Failing to identify an aerodynamic stall can lead to the inability of an aircraft to sustain flight. To warn pilots of an impending or fully-developed stall, many aircraft have safety devices installe…
Browse the full corpus — academia portal ↗