This is an excerpt from a report made to the Aviation Safety Reporting System. The narrative is written by the pilot, rather than FAA or NTSB officials. To maintain anonymity, many details, such as aircraft model or airport, are often scrubbed from the reports.
Aircraft is non-electrical with no starter, and based at a private airpark home. Aircraft was tied down at tail and triple chocked.
Preflighted and prepared for a normal start and flight. Normal start but, as I was walking around the wing to the cockpit, engine power increased more quickly than expected after start. I was unable to reach the cockpit to shut the engine down before the chocks gave way, followed by the tie-down stake pulling out of the ground.
Aircraft traveled unoccupied down sloping yard and hit a ditch, coming to rest on the taxiway, resulting in landing gear damage and propeller striking ground and pavement and engine shutdown.
No injuries or property damage occurred.
In retrospect I have always been careful to secure the aircraft for start correctly with triple chocks and tie-down. It’s possible, on this start, I may not have tightened the throttle friction lock fully, which may have allowed the throttle position to travel partially forward after start. The chocks in front of all three tires started to strain, then failed and the aircraft rolled forward as I was moving around the wing. The last available restraint was a tie-down at the tailwheel position. Momentum and some slack in the tie-down rope caused the tie-down stake to pull loose from the ground as the slack was taken up. The downhill slope of the yard added to the acceleration before impact with the ditch.
I should have double checked the throttle setting and friction lock to make sure that throttle position would not change. The increase in power would not have happened.
Primary Problem: Human Factors
ACN: 1788368
Amazingly written and articulate article. But, some to the basic steps forgotten or never learned in hand propping a piston engine aircraft. I started out w/out a starter on my 1st aircraft just as it was built in 1946. It had gotten away from the previous owner before I bought it. The seller indoctrinated me in the proper method to hand prop the plane. Hand prime when engine is cold not so much when engine is hot. Mad switched OFF. Set throttle (cracked), Set brake, chock wheels, retain all tie downs as tied. Turn mags ON hot and position self firmly footed at propeller either front of engine or behind of prop like I did. Once engine is operating walk around and untie the ship before jumping into it. But that time it should be running smoothly.
How about getting a starter…wow..something that actually works and is safe.
Maybe you didn’t read the part about the aircraft not having an electrical system. That’s not exactly rare in aviation.
Some of the ‘no-electrics’ aircraft engines have a pad or location on the accessory case to mount a starter. It’s what’s known as a total loss system, with a battery and starter contactor, but no alternator/ generator.
The battery will usually start the engine 5-6 times before needing to be recharged.
It’s amazing to me how many simple mistakes are made when hand-propping. I don’t know what else to say.
Back in the mid-60’s a man came out to fly his Ercoupe. He started the airplane and taxid to the NW end of the grass strip. After his run up the engine quit when he closed the throttle. The battery didn’t have enough to start it. He “set the brake” and put his shoes in front of the tires as chocks. The engine started when propped. As he was getting around the wing the throttle increased quickly, it rolled over the shoes and danced down the runway until airborn. It slowly descended and landed into the field perimeter fence severely damaging the aircraft. I didn’t see the “landing”, but I do remember seeing the airplane at about 25 feet high after it lifted off.
Shut off fuel, throttle lock, or a walk to the office for help all may have contributed to this airplanes longer life.
Prime the engine. Turn ignition ON. Turn the fuel OFF.
You’ll have time to get to cockpit before a long runway.
Use screw anchors, not just stakes.