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When a C182 low battery was incapable of pulling the engine through a compression stroke; the pilot exited the cockpit to pull the prop through in hopes a subsequent start attempt would be successful. Unfortunately; he failed to turn off the ignition and the engine started when the prop was pulled through. An idle throttle setting and good brakes prevented the incident from escalating.
| Attributes | |
| ACN | 939652 |
| Time | |
| Date | 201103 |
| Local Time Of Day | 1201-1800 |
| Place | |
| Locale Reference | ZZZ.Airport |
| State Reference | US |
| Environment | |
| Flight Conditions | VMC |
| Light | Daylight |
| Aircraft 1 | |
| Make Model Name | Skylane 182/RG Turbo Skylane/RG |
| Operating Under FAR Part | Part 91 |
| Flight Phase | Parked |
| Route In Use | None |
| Flight Plan | None |
| Component | |
| Aircraft Component | Ignition/Magneto Switch |
| Person 1 | |
| Function | Pilot Flying Single Pilot |
| Qualification | Flight Crew Instrument Flight Crew Private |
| Experience | Flight Crew Last 90 Days 3 Flight Crew Total 1110 Flight Crew Type 840 |
| Events | |
| Anomaly | Aircraft Equipment Problem Critical Deviation - Procedural Published Material / Policy |
Narrative:
The airplane had been preflighted; pulled from the t-hangar and prepared for engine start. I felt somewhat hurried; as the pilot in the t-hangar across the ramp was also preparing to leave and was waiting on me. When I cranked the engine; it hung on a compression stroke. The airplane had had an electrical problem on the previous flight; which I believed had been repaired but probably had left the battery weak. I decided that if I pulled the engine through the compression stroke on which it was hanging; the starter would then be able to gain enough momentum to crank the engine through to a start. You can probably guess what happened next. The magnetos were still on; and when I pulled the prop through; the engine started. Fortunately; I had treated the prop as if it were hot (not believing that it really was!); and the throttle was at idle; so I was able to return to the cockpit and shut the engine down.I learned (or was reminded of) the following lessons from this incident: (1) mistakes happen when you rush things; and you always need to take the time to be safe. (2) whenever you pull on the prop -- even if your purpose is not to start the engine -- chock the airplane and double-check to confirm that the magnetos are not on. (3) even after confirming that the magnetos are not on; still treat them as if they are - a wire could be broken; or some other malfunction could occur. Remain well clear of the prop arc.this was one of those events that over the years have happened way too many times; and I never thought something like this would happen to me. I was fortunate that this incident was not more serious; and am reminded to be doubly vigilant about every aspect of aircraft operations -- even while parked on the ramp.
Original NASA ASRS Text
Title: When a C182 low battery was incapable of pulling the engine through a compression stroke; the pilot exited the cockpit to pull the prop through in hopes a subsequent start attempt would be successful. Unfortunately; he failed to turn off the ignition and the engine started when the prop was pulled through. An idle throttle setting and good brakes prevented the incident from escalating.
Narrative: The airplane had been preflighted; pulled from the T-hangar and prepared for engine start. I felt somewhat hurried; as the pilot in the T-hangar across the ramp was also preparing to leave and was waiting on me. When I cranked the engine; it hung on a compression stroke. The airplane had had an electrical problem on the previous flight; which I believed had been repaired but probably had left the battery weak. I decided that if I pulled the engine through the compression stroke on which it was hanging; the starter would then be able to gain enough momentum to crank the engine through to a start. You can probably guess what happened next. The magnetos were still on; and when I pulled the prop through; the engine started. Fortunately; I had treated the prop as if it were hot (not believing that it really was!); and the throttle was at idle; so I was able to return to the cockpit and shut the engine down.I learned (or was reminded of) the following lessons from this incident: (1) Mistakes happen when you rush things; and you always need to take the time to be safe. (2) Whenever you pull on the prop -- even if your purpose is not to start the engine -- chock the airplane and double-check to confirm that the magnetos are not on. (3) Even after confirming that the magnetos are not on; still treat them as if they are - a wire could be broken; or some other malfunction could occur. Remain well clear of the prop arc.This was one of those events that over the years have happened way too many times; and I never thought something like this would happen to me. I was fortunate that this incident was not more serious; and am reminded to be doubly vigilant about every aspect of aircraft operations -- even while parked on the ramp.
Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of April 2012 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.