ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 134300
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| Date: | Wednesday 26 December 2001 |
| Time: | 15:10 |
| Type: |  Aeronca 7AC Champion |
| Owner/operator: | Private |
| Registration: | N83136 |
| MSN: | 1797 |
| Engine model: | Continental A-65-8 |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 1 |
| Aircraft damage: | Destroyed |
| Category: | Accident |
| Location: | Winters, CA -
 United States of America
|
| Phase: | Standing |
| Nature: | Private |
| Departure airport: | Petaluma, CA |
| Novato, CA (DVO) | |
| Investigating agency: | NTSB |
| Confidence Rating: |  Accident investigation report completed and information captured |
The pilot "propped" (hand started) the engine and the airplane subsequently took off with no one aboard and crashed in nearby mountains about 2 hours later. The aircraft was not equipped with an electric starter motor and the pilot normally and routinely started it by hand-propping. The pilot (who was alone) stood behind the propeller when pulling on it. He reported that, after propping the engine about 4 times without achieving engine start, he perceived the engine was flooded and returned to the cockpit where he turned the magneto switch from "both" to "off" and advanced the throttle to the full throttle position. He then turned the engine backwards 10 revolutions. He next returned to the cockpit again and turned the magneto switch back to the "both" position; however, he forgot to retard the throttle back to the idle position. When he next propped the engine it started at maximum power. The pilot attempted to restrain the airplane but was unable to do so and the airplane moved forward and took off with no one aboard. The airplane was located the following morning about 45 miles northeast of the departure point, having crashed in mountainous terrain.
Probable Cause: The failure of the pilot to retard the engine throttle to idle while hand-propping the engine, which resulted in the engine starting at full (takeoff) power and the airplane taking off with no one aboard.
Accident investigation:
 |
|
Sources:
NTSB: https://www.ntsb.gov/_layouts/ntsb.aviation/brief.aspx?ev_id=20011228X02460&key=1
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 21-Dec-2016 19:26 | ASN Update Bot | Updated [Time, Damage, Category, Investigating agency] |
| 10-Dec-2017 13:27 | ASN Update Bot | Updated [Other fatalities, Departure airport, Destination airport, Source, Narrative] |
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