Aviation Crash Map

Piper PA-17 N4832H

7 June 1997 · Mansfield, Massachusetts, United States · Serious injuries

Summary

On 7 June 1997 at about 14:24 local time, a Piper PA-17 registered N4832H was involved in an accident near Mansfield, Massachusetts, United States. 3 people were on board. The aircraft was slightly damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

The record

Date
at 14:24
Classification
Accident
Location
Mansfield, Massachusetts, United States
Nearest airport
Mansfield Municipal (1B9)
Coordinates
Not recorded
Aircraft
Piper PA-17
Registration
N4832H
Category
Airplane
Engines
1
Operator
Not recorded
Operating rule
Part 91: General Aviation
Purpose of flight
Personal
Phase of flight
Not recorded
Route
Unknown → Chatam
Aircraft damage
Minor
Weather
VMC
Light
Day
NTSB number
NYC97LA106

People

Injuries not recorded.

On board Died Serious Minor Uninjured
3 0 0 0 2

Probable cause

The inadequate procedure for hand-prop starting of the engine.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot and passenger had flown to the airport earlier to have breakfast. While preparing for engine start the pilot noted that the engine was still '...hot.' He stated that the engine was difficult to start when warm and that it flooded quickly if not started right away. The pilot said the passenger hand-propped the airplane unsuccessfully 8 to 10 times and the engine flooded. The pilot stated that he turned the magneto switch to 'off,' pushed the throttle in, and instructed the passenger to pull the propeller through backwards 12 times to clear the flooded engine. The pilot stated: 'At this point a guy walks up and says, 'I'll take it from here.' The guy yelled, 'mags off!', and I yelled 'mags off, but wait a minute!' He was way too close to the spinner. He pulled it through, I heard this 'clunk', and he fell down out of my view. The airplane did not start. We got out of the plane and saw that it hit his left knee. A witness who observed the pilot and passenger as they attempted to handprop start the engine described their actions as 'extremely thorough and conscientious.' According to the witness, the other person came over. The pilot waved him away, but he pulled the propeller through..

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.

Other Piper PA-17 accidents

Date Aircraft Location Operator Outcome Died
7 Jul 1997 Piper PA-17
N4594H
Cadillac, Michigan, United States - No injuries -
26 Mar 1997 Piper PA-17
N4802H
N Little Rock, Arkansas, United States - No injuries -
15 Feb 1998 Piper PA-17
N4835H
Bozeman, Montana, United States - No injuries -
6 Jan 1995 Piper PA-17
N4492H
Dutch Harbor, Alaska, United States William R. Coon No injuries -
28 Nov 1988 Piper PA-17
N4691H
Omaha, Nebraska, United States Bonacci Flying Service, Inc. Fatal 1
20 Jul 2007 Piper PA-17
N4802H
Scribner, Nebraska, United States - No injuries -

All 39 records for this type

Other accidents in this area

Date Aircraft Location Operator Outcome Died
29 Jan 1997 Cessna 152
N67898
North Andover, Massachusetts, United States
no coordinates
- No injuries -
8 Jun 1997 Schweizer SGS 135
N17976
Pepperell, Massachusetts, United States
no coordinates
- Serious injuries -
27 Sep 1997 Fairchild Hiller FH-1100
N5045F
Pittsfield, Massachusetts, United States
no coordinates
- Fatal 1
25 Jan 1997 Cessna 402C
N121PB
Provincetown, Massachusetts, United States
no coordinates
Hyannis Air Service No injuries -
22 Jul 1997 Cessna 172E
N3553S
Fitchburg, Massachusetts, United States
no coordinates
Andrew H Liebfried No injuries -
19 Sep 1997 Cessna 402C
N6879Y
Nantucket, Massachusetts, United States
no coordinates
Ocean Wings Inc No injuries -

All 170,864 records in United States