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Small aircraft pilot reported that a sudden engine start after rotating the propeller resulted in a loss of control and caused the aircraft to accelerate across a ramp and strike a hangar.
| Attributes | |
| ACN | 1706791 |
| Time | |
| Date | 201911 |
| Local Time Of Day | 0601-1200 |
| Place | |
| Locale Reference | ZZZ.Airport |
| State Reference | US |
| Environment | |
| Flight Conditions | VMC |
| Light | Daylight |
| Aircraft 1 | |
| Make Model Name | Small Aircraft |
| Operating Under FAR Part | Part 91 |
| Flight Phase | Parked |
| Flight Plan | None |
| Component | |
| Aircraft Component | Ignition/Magneto Switch |
| Person 1 | |
| Function | Single Pilot |
| Qualification | Flight Crew Sport / Recreational |
| Experience | Flight Crew Last 90 Days 3 Flight Crew Total 145 Flight Crew Type 35 |
| Events | |
| Anomaly | Aircraft Equipment Problem Less Severe Deviation - Procedural Published Material / Policy Ground Event / Encounter Loss Of Aircraft Control Ground Event / Encounter Object Ground Excursion Ramp |
Narrative:
As I was prepping to go up to practice landings and do a short cross country of about 45 miles each way. I did a thorough preflight; pulled the plane out of the hangar; settled into the cockpit; went through the checklist and attempted to start the engine. The engine would turn to the top of the compression stroke and drop. I then shut everything down and exited the cockpit to turn the engine over by hand a couple times to limber things up. I propped countless planes working at an airport in high school; so I always treat the prop as though the mags are hot.as soon as I heard the mag click I knew something was not right. The engine started immediately. As I got out of the way I tried to figure a way to stop the plane. The left brake has been dragging lately; so the plane veered left as it accelerated. It crossed the taxiway and headed straight for the hangar across from mine.after everything stopped; I got into the cockpit and saw that the mag switch appeared to be in off position. I reached in to remove the key and it clicked as though it had apparently been stopped on top of a detent in the switch and had let the right mag remain hot. I have not attempted to duplicate the problem. I later remembered that back in my line boy days when I propped a lot of planes; the cardinal rule was; unless you are trying to start the plane; do not touch the prop unless the key is in your hand/pocket. If only I had remembered that rule earlier. My forgetting that old rule caused my plane and my ego to suffer badly.
Original NASA ASRS Text
Title: Small aircraft pilot reported that a sudden engine start after rotating the propeller resulted in a loss of control and caused the aircraft to accelerate across a ramp and strike a hangar.
Narrative: As I was prepping to go up to practice landings and do a short cross country of about 45 miles each way. I did a thorough preflight; pulled the plane out of the hangar; settled into the cockpit; went through the checklist and attempted to start the engine. The engine would turn to the top of the compression stroke and drop. I then shut everything down and exited the cockpit to turn the engine over by hand a couple times to limber things up. I propped countless planes working at an airport in high school; so I always treat the prop as though the mags are hot.As soon as I heard the mag click I knew something was not right. The engine started immediately. As I got out of the way I tried to figure a way to stop the plane. The left brake has been dragging lately; so the plane veered left as it accelerated. It crossed the taxiway and headed straight for the hangar across from mine.After everything stopped; I got into the cockpit and saw that the mag switch appeared to be in off position. I reached in to remove the key and it clicked as though it had apparently been stopped on top of a detent in the switch and had let the right mag remain hot. I have not attempted to duplicate the problem. I later remembered that back in my line boy days when I propped a lot of planes; the cardinal rule was; unless you are trying to start the plane; do not touch the prop unless the key is in your hand/pocket. If only I had remembered that rule earlier. My forgetting that old rule caused my plane and my ego to suffer badly.
Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site and automatically converted to unabbreviated mixed upper/lowercase text. This report is for informational purposes with no guarantee of accuracy. See NASA's ASRS site for official report.