CAA: GA News, "Accident Reports"

["Stephen Irwin" <stepheni@cwnet.com>]

Friday, May 26, 2000

Flight instructor killed when he walks into Piper Arrow’s rotating propeller
Accident Reports
GA News


These 1997 Accident Reports are provided by the National Transportation
Safety Board. Published as an educational tool, they are intended to help
pilots learn from the misfortune of others.

***

Aircraft: Piper PA-28R-200.

Location: Pottstown, Pennsylvania.

Injuries: 1 fatal.

Aircraft damage: Minor.

What reportedly happened: A pilot was having trouble starting the Piper’s
engine when a Cessna 172 returned from a dual instructional flight and
pulled into a parking space to the left. A flight instructor got out of the
Cessna 172 and began helping the pilot of the Piper. Once the engine was
started, the flight instructor stood up on the right wing and walked into
the turning propeller. He was killed immediately. At the same time, a motor
glider was taxiing in front of the Piper, passing from right to left. The
wing of the glider had cleared the Piper by about three feet and was
approaching the Cessna, which was parked further forward.

Probable cause: The flight instructor’s diverted attention while standing on
the wing behind a turning propeller.

***

Aircraft: Beech V35.

Location: Lake George, Colorado.

Injuries: Two fatal.

Aircraft damage: Destroyed.

What reportedly happened: The airplane was on final approach when it
collided with the 30° up-slope side of an embankment about 15 feet below the
runway threshold and 10 feet right of the runway center line. The airplane
traveled up and onto the runway and skidded 64 feet before coming to a halt
on the right edge of the runway. Fire and rescue personnel said the wind was
gusting at approximately 20 knots when they arrived. A witness who saw the
airplane on its landing approach said the pilot was making a “steep”
approach. He said it was “very windy, really blowing, about 50 knots.”
According to the pilot’s wife, her husband had been flying out of the ranch
airstrip for about four years, often commuting every day to his business,
and was aware of the variable wind conditions in the area. She said he
always made steep approaches at higher-than-normal airspeeds to compensate
for the sudden changes in wind direction and velocity.

Probable cause: The pilot’s failure to maintain control of the airplane. A
factor was the terrain-induced turbulence.

***

Aircraft: Cessna 182F.

Location: Mokuleia, Hawaii.

Injuries: Five minor.

Aircraft damage: Destroyed/lost.

What reportedly happened: The pilot was preparing to take off with four
parachutists aboard. He said he checked the flight controls and saw no
evidence of mechanical problems. During the takeoff roll, however, the
airplane accelerated to between 60 and 65 mph, became airborne and pitched
60° nose up. The pilot said there was no response when he applied forward
pressure on the control yoke. The airplane banked right, stalled, descended
and collided with trees. The pilot said he notified the Unicom operator that
he was “coming back around.” The control yoke, however, was still locked and
could not be moved forward or aft, according to the pilot. With no pitch
control, the airplane descended into the water and sank. The pilot and four
passengers escaped, but the main wreckage was not recovered. The pilot’s
account of a jammed yoke could not be verified due to the lack of physical
evidence.

Probable cause: An unintentional stall for undetermined reasons.

***

Aircraft: Cessna 172N.

Location: Pullman, Washington.

Injuries: None.

Aircraft damage: Minor.

What reportedly happened: After an uneventful landing on a dark night, the
pilot began taxiing the rental aircraft to its parking spot. As he was
parking the aircraft, the wing collided with a fuel truck.

Probable cause: The pilot’s failure to maintain clearance from the fuel
truck. Factors include a dark night.


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