The pilot had been performing touch and go landings with several trike pilots when he decided to land at the airport in Buckeye, Arizona, and talk to another trike pilot on the ground.
After landing and setting the parking brake, he exited his Air Creation Tanarg trike with the engine still running, to go talk to the other pilot.
When he returned to his trike, it had started to move, and he chased after it.
As he neared the trike, he attempted to reach around to the right rear strut with his left hand to stop it. However, the pilot did not see the rear-mounted propeller, and his left-hand fingers were struck by the propeller and he was seriously injured.
The pilot reported that there were no pre-accident mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.
Probable Cause: The failure of the pilot to adequately maintain a safe distance from the airplane’s propeller, which resulted in a serious injury when the propeller struck his hand.
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This May 2020 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.
Exiting any aircraft with the engine running, and with no one in the cockpit holding the brakes is a bad move.
tough lesson to learn….at least he didn’t hurt anyone else. I’ve seen people do this in GA airplanes, too.