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C182 hits hangar and another plane after engine start

By NTSB · November 30, 2016 ·

The pilot had planned to depart on a local solo flight in St. Petersburg, Florida. He completed a preflight inspection of the Cessna T182T, which was parked outside of the pilot’s hangar, and pointed towards a set of hangars about 50 feet away.

He then primed the cylinders of the 335-horsepower engine with the throttle in the full open position, but forgot to retard the throttle to a one quarter position before starting the engine. When the engine started the airplane “leaped forward.”

The pilot quickly applied brakes, but the plane accelerated across the taxiway and struck the opposing hangar and a parked airplane, which resulted in substantial damage to the left wing.

The NTSB determined the probable cause as the pilot’s failure to properly set the throttle prior to engine start, which resulted in a loss of control and collision with a hangar.

NTSB Identification: ERA15CA057

This November 2014 accident report is provided by the National Transportation Safety Board. Published as an educational tool, it is intended to help pilots learn from the misfortunes of others.

About NTSB

The National Transportation Safety Board is an independent federal agency charged by Congress with investigating every civil aviation accident in the United States and significant events in the other modes of transportation, including railroad, transit, highway, marine, pipeline, and commercial space. It determines the probable causes of accidents and issues safety recommendations aimed at preventing future occurrences.

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Comments

  1. Bob says

    December 3, 2016 at 2:24 pm

    I’m sure this guy feels bad enough without being punked by people who think it could never happen to them. You hope it don’t but you just never know

  2. Paul says

    December 1, 2016 at 5:12 pm

    Stupid is as stupid does and this is proof positive of that axiom. The throttle can be completely closed and the priming will still be the same by injecting the same amount of raw fuel per plunge into either one of the cylinders and/or the intake manifold. As Charlie Brown would say: Good grief!

  3. BJS says

    December 1, 2016 at 9:24 am

    I’ve got an ’05, 182 (not turbocharged though so perhaps that makes a difference?) and you don’t prime it with the throttle full open so that doesn’t make sense? The check list says throttle at 1/4 inch but I’m not sure it has to be open any during priming; I just follow the check list? Also a 182, as someone noted, does not have a 335 h.p. engine.

  4. walter m krupnak says

    December 1, 2016 at 9:11 am

    Once again, I don’t know how some people get pilot’s licenses and the instructors and examiners who hand out these licenses.

  5. Marvin says

    December 1, 2016 at 7:45 am

    Yep accidents happen and I”m sure the pilot did not want this to
    happen, Human nature

  6. Hans says

    December 1, 2016 at 7:25 am

    Checklist, he had it memorized. You can’t fix stupid.

  7. Gary says

    December 1, 2016 at 7:14 am

    I think that should be “235-horsepower engine”.

  8. Wayne says

    December 1, 2016 at 6:52 am

    “One quarter throttle”, I always thought that meant ” one quarter of an inch”?

  9. Bluestar says

    December 1, 2016 at 6:14 am

    Yep, I’m sure he would have eventually forget to retard the throttle, forget to extend flaps, forget to extend landing gear and land full speed on his belly……. this had to have been made up !

  10. Eric Ziegler says

    December 1, 2016 at 5:48 am

    [What] Was this “pilot” thinking? Every one of his training flights began with his hand in the correct position.Including the usual people with more airplane than smarts, I’ve never heard of anything so ridiculous. And no, that COULDN’T happen to me.

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