Narrative:

It was a calm, hot, clear and beautiful day. My airplane was in tip-top condition. The 100 hour inspection had just been performed the week before. Upon trying to start it the engine was flooded. A day later upon talking to the owner of the other airplane (which my propeller chewed up his left wing) he tells me he has warned many of his fellow pilots every chance he gets to beware of this very same possible incident. He says that when an airplane, in the same situation as mine..., flooded, hot day, and lines full of fuel, the plane frequently leaps out of control. Sometimes all it takes is a touch to the propeller and that plane is off. He explained to me how the magnetos are taut and tightly wound like the spring on a window shade...a touch and the shade is wrapped up. If I would have been told this in ground school or somewhere heard it, I would not have been so stunned and I would have been prepared to handle it. Instead of shutting everything off, I tried to avoid hitting the tied down plane in front of my by applying right rudder. This swerved me into the small aircraft on the right tied down next to it. Both were low winged and I tried to go between the two then shutting off. All of this could have been prevented if I would have known the possibile response of an airplane in this condition and the immediate response to take. It was the surprise that threw me. We practice stalls and so many other things but this had never been brought to my attention. Callback conversation with reporter revealed the following information. Reporter states having never had any experience with flooding, reporter sat in the aircraft for 'what seemed an eternity' before attempting restart. Also stated that it was very hot so may not have been as long as thought. Feels reactions may have been slow because aircraft surge so unexpected.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: PLT FLOODS ENGINE. AFTER SHORT WAIT, SECOND START ATTEMPT RESULTS IN SUDDEN SURGE OF POWER. HITS PARKED ACFT.

Narrative: IT WAS A CALM, HOT, CLR AND BEAUTIFUL DAY. MY AIRPLANE WAS IN TIP-TOP CONDITION. THE 100 HR INSPECTION HAD JUST BEEN PERFORMED THE WK BEFORE. UPON TRYING TO START IT THE ENG WAS FLOODED. A DAY LATER UPON TALKING TO THE OWNER OF THE OTHER AIRPLANE (WHICH MY PROP CHEWED UP HIS L WING) HE TELLS ME HE HAS WARNED MANY OF HIS FELLOW PLTS EVERY CHANCE HE GETS TO BEWARE OF THIS VERY SAME POSSIBLE INCIDENT. HE SAYS THAT WHEN AN AIRPLANE, IN THE SAME SITUATION AS MINE..., FLOODED, HOT DAY, AND LINES FULL OF FUEL, THE PLANE FREQUENTLY LEAPS OUT OF CTL. SOMETIMES ALL IT TAKES IS A TOUCH TO THE PROP AND THAT PLANE IS OFF. HE EXPLAINED TO ME HOW THE MAGNETOS ARE TAUT AND TIGHTLY WOUND LIKE THE SPRING ON A WINDOW SHADE...A TOUCH AND THE SHADE IS WRAPPED UP. IF I WOULD HAVE BEEN TOLD THIS IN GND SCHOOL OR SOMEWHERE HEARD IT, I WOULD NOT HAVE BEEN SO STUNNED AND I WOULD HAVE BEEN PREPARED TO HANDLE IT. INSTEAD OF SHUTTING EVERYTHING OFF, I TRIED TO AVOID HITTING THE TIED DOWN PLANE IN FRONT OF MY BY APPLYING R RUDDER. THIS SWERVED ME INTO THE SMA ON THE R TIED DOWN NEXT TO IT. BOTH WERE LOW WINGED AND I TRIED TO GO BTWN THE TWO THEN SHUTTING OFF. ALL OF THIS COULD HAVE BEEN PREVENTED IF I WOULD HAVE KNOWN THE POSSIBILE RESPONSE OF AN AIRPLANE IN THIS CONDITION AND THE IMMEDIATE RESPONSE TO TAKE. IT WAS THE SURPRISE THAT THREW ME. WE PRACTICE STALLS AND SO MANY OTHER THINGS BUT THIS HAD NEVER BEEN BROUGHT TO MY ATTN. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO. RPTR STATES HAVING NEVER HAD ANY EXPERIENCE WITH FLOODING, RPTR SAT IN THE ACFT FOR 'WHAT SEEMED AN ETERNITY' BEFORE ATTEMPTING RESTART. ALSO STATED THAT IT WAS VERY HOT SO MAY NOT HAVE BEEN AS LONG AS THOUGHT. FEELS REACTIONS MAY HAVE BEEN SLOW BECAUSE ACFT SURGE SO UNEXPECTED.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of July 2007 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.