Cessna 150G N3366J

Summary

On 27 June 2006 at about 18:00 local time, a Cessna 150G registered N3366J was involved in an accident near Indianapolis, Indiana, United States. One person was on board and nobody was injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

27 June 2006 at 18:00

Classification

Accident

Location

Indianapolis, Indiana, United States

Nearest airport

Mount Comfort (MQJ)

Coordinates

39.8436, -85.8969

Aircraft

Cessna 150G

Registration

N3366J

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Indianapolis → Indianapolis

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

CHI06CA170

Nobody was injured.

The pilot intentionally leaving the airplane unoccupied during the engine start and the failure of the tail tie-down, which ultimately resulted in the unoccupied airplane becoming airborne.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The unoccupied airplane inadvertently became airborne and crashed shortly after the pilot hand-propped the engine. The pilot reported that he attempted to hand-prop the engine because the aircraft's battery had insufficient charge to utilize the electric starter. The pilot stated that he "tied the tail down" with an automotive style, webbed cargo strap. The pilot reported that after successfully starting the engine, the tail tie-down failed as he repositioned himself to get into the cabin. The pilot stated that he reached "in through the window and tried to pull the mixture out, but could not reach it." The pilot reported that he hung onto the aircraft as it began to accelerate forward, and believes he "moved the throttle more open" before having to let go of the airplane due to its increasing ground speed. The unoccupied airplane eventually became airborne and crashed about one mile from the ramp area. The pilot stated that the accident could have been prevented if he had used wheel chocks, utilized another tie-down on the tail, or had a person at the aircraft's controls during the hand-start.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.